


Her Celestial Duty

by Miniskidkid



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Anima - Freeform, Celestial Gods, Dictatorship, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Lost Magic, Lucy is hella powerful, M/M, Princesses, Revenge, but yeah, hella magic, kinda like that one arc, so there’s a different dimension??, tyranny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 15:03:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17409077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miniskidkid/pseuds/Miniskidkid
Summary: In another dimension, there is a Celestial Kingdom that worships the stars. The world is a beautiful haven of peace, under a just and fair rule of the Celestial King. As the king of the world for more than hundreds of years, he at last passes his mantel down to his only daughter, Princess Celeste.





	1. The Preface

Princess Lucille Renee Evangeline Celeste. 

The princess of a world that was immortal. A young woman with so much power and no one to share it with. So much responsibility to place on a woman barely eighteen. But the weight of a crown isn't the only thing the Princess must worry about. 

For something that will change the course of history is about to happen, and Princess Lucille Celeste is the center of it all.


	2. Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "There is an unfair responsibility that comes with being an only child - you grow up knowing you aren't allowed to disappoint, you're not even allowed to die." }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I’ve made some edits, but I’m planning on posting a chapter later today!

 

"Princess!" A shrill voice called out frantically.

A plump lady came racing around the corner, an exasperated look on her face. She had been searching frantically for this princess throughout the castle, but she was no where to be found.

"Princess Lucille!!" The maid shrieked.

"Spetto! Calm down!" A melodic voice called.

Spetto turned to see a beautiful young lady standing in the hallway, adorned in jewels and a beautiful silk dress, and a reassuring smile on her face. All of Spetto's anxiety vanished as she saw the young woman.

"Princess! Oh thank goodness! Where have you been?!" She exclaimed, running to her mistresses side. Princess Lucille smiled. "I was taking a stroll. I'm sorry I caused you trouble, Spetto." Lucille said kindly, giving a chaste kiss on Spetto's cheek.

Spetto shook her head flustered. "No need to apologize, Your Highness! You need to get dressed right away!" Spetto cried, grabbing Lucille's hand.

Lucille pursed her lips. "Is it that time already?." Her voice sounded distant.

Spetto gave her a look of sympathy. "I know it's hard to accept it, but this is your responsibility! As the only child of the Celestial King, it is your duty to ascend to the throne." Spetto stated, guiding Lucille down the hall.

The princess sighed. "There are far more worthier people to take the throne than I. Father could probably find someone whom he trusts -."

"Lucille." Spetto gave the Princess a chastising look. "The Celestial King is choosing you because he knows you're ready! The fact that he didn't choose someone else should be proof of that!" Spetto explained.

The Princess bowed her head, her eyes glossing over. "I used to think this is what I was meant for, and that I was more than ready... But... ever since..." She broke off, her voice cracking as a horrible memory surfaced. Spetto paused and reached to comfort the princess, but Lucille shook her head, wiping her tears. "It's already been a year and I can't even talk about it..."

Lucille pushed ahead, entering her chambers. Spetto hurried the princess to a pedestal in the middle of the room, and clapped her hands. Five hand maidens all entered the room, carrying different clothing parts in their hands, the last carrying a gown. As the hand maidens prepared the princess for the coronation, Spetto watched the young girl carefully.

"Lucille...." Spetto called out softly.

The Princess turned her attention to Spetto, an expectant expression on her face. Spetto studied her with concern, and then shook her head. "Never mind, Princess." Spetto said, exiting the room.

Lucille sighed sadly, looking in the mirror as her current outfit was taken off of her body.

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰️

Princess Lucille leaned against her balcony, the wind blowing in her face as she adored her kingdom from up high. As she inhaled, she sighed as the wind brought the familiar smell of Twinkle grass that smelt richly of the earth and a scent that was vaguely similar to honey. The beautiful purple sky sparkled with stars that could be seen even at the peak of the day. The two closest stars, the First and Second Sun, shone brightly, illuminating the world.

Etoella was more than just her responsibility as the future Queen. Etoella was her home. Lucille loved her world very much, and wished to explore it to the fullest extent. To travel to the farthest reaches of the cerulean seas and past the tall jagged cliffs and villages filled to the brim with citizens of hers. But she has been a princess all her life, and a very-soon-to-be-Queen. She knew she had no time for such things, and to dream for something more than what she had was demeaning. Something she had learned only recently.

And the fact that she had learned so soon made her heart ache.

A knock sounded on her door, interrupting her before she could deepen the reflection of her wishes. She breathed in the fresh, Etoellan air once more before she exited the balcony and into the room.

"Come in." She called out.

The doors opened to reveal a tall, young man, who smiled as he entered the Princess' room. He had dark brown hair that was neatly combed back, so you could see his twinkling golden eyes that smiled as well. His face was squared, and had a crisscrossing scars across his forehead that were still pink with tenderness. On his upper lip, he had a small mustache neatly trimmed, and for that reason, Lucille had always jokingly called him Mustache Man.

The young man was wearing armor that covered every inch of him, and made clanking sounds whenever he moved. It was gold polished, and glowed as bright as the suns whenever it caught the light. The insignia that adorned his breast plate showed he was a corporal in the army of the Celestial King. Lucille beamed. "Benjamin!" She exclaimed, turning fully and rushing closer to him.

Benjamin chuckled at her earnest demeanor. "Princess Lucille." He reverently bowed to show his respect. Lucille did not appreciate his manners and came to slap him on the head, while his head was bent forward. He yelped and shot up, rubbing his head.

"What - ?!" He exclaimed, looking at the Princess with an annoyed expression.

She glared back at him with narrowed eyes. "I told you when you are in my quarters that you are only supposed to call me Lucille. I hate it when you're formal! Ever since you were able to understand that I was royalty, you've been a pain in my side, calling me that name!" She said angrily.

Benjamin smiled nervously. "Sorry Prin -. I mean, Lucille." He said sheepishly.

Lucille sighed and smiled at her childhood friend warmly, grabbing his hand to caress. "Anyways, it's good to see you again. What has it been? Three months?" She asked sadly.

Benjamin squeezed her hand, a resigned look on his face as he smiled softly. "Well, you know. Royal duties." He said.

Lucille laughed bitterly, letting go of his hand. "That's an understatement." She grumbled as she sat on her bed.

When she did, Benjamin was finally able to notice what Lucille was wearing. He usually didn't pay attention to that. Especially since her face is just so... mesmerizing. Lucille looked truly elegant.

Her torso was covered by a tight, glimmering gold fabric, that glittered with tiny, golden stars. The waist line came down tight on Lucille's waist, with white net-like fabric coming from the seam. The glittering stars came down from the torso on the skirt, making them seem like shooting stars. Lucille's neck line was circle scoop, and deep. Her sleeves came from her shoulders to her wrists. They too were covered in the stars, and they faded out more towards the end of the sleeve.

A cape was latched along the neck line, the cape was fluffy and white and extended down to her ankles, and latching the cape together was a brooch that was a star embedded with a few diamonds. Her shoes were two inch nude heels that made her sand just a little taller, but he could tell she was still short - compared to him. Her neck was adorned with a very expensive looking necklace, with thousands of diamonds sparkling brightly. Lucille's hair was pulled up in an elegant waterfall braid, and the hair fell down in curly, golden swirls.

Lucille's cheeks were lightly brushed with blush, and her lips seemed more full, and glossier. Her eyes were as big as ever, and as beautiful, with mascara. On top of the Princess' head was a beautiful crown, with a base of white that had several intricate designs, all outlined in thin gold lines. If you looked close enough, you could see it was all of the constellations of the Celestial spirits. Lucille was very beautiful, and Benjamin couldn't deny it. He had always thought she was beautiful, even before she was his princess.

Benjamin smiled at the extraordinary sight of his friend. "You look beautiful today Lucille. If you ask me, you already look like a queen." He said. Lucille smiled sadly. "You think so? I never thought I was cut out for this. I don't know if I want to be queen." She said, rubbing her arms.

Benjamin's heart squeezed in sympathy for her. He remembered when she was ready for anything, and that had barely been last spring. But ever since Lucille has lost her lover, she hadn't been able to talk about her royal duties, or much else actually. She had become closed off, and even Benjamin had a hard time talking to her. He came to sit beside Lucille on the bed, and he supported himself with his arms. He took a cautious glance at Lucille.

Lucille has lost everything in the past year, and yet...

She still was forced to accept a title that she would've shared.

"Lucille." The blonde look up, her large brown eyes curious as Benjamin cleared his throat. "I'm... I'm sure that Natsu would've wanted you to be Queen." He whispered softly, grabbing Lucille's hand with both of his. She started at the sound of his name, just like she had every other time his name was mentioned. But Benjamin continued, "Don't give up on your path, just because you don't think you're strong enough. Because you are. He knew that. And I especially know that."

Lucille closed her eyes, and took in a shaky breath, facing her head down. Her small frame shook as quiet sobs racked through her body. Benjamin held her close to him, his own eyes saddening as tears spilled from hers. Her sadness only lasted a minute before she recomposed herself. Lucille sniffed, dabbing at her tears delicately. "Spetto spent an hour on this makeup. She's going to be so upset!" Lucille hiccuped, giving Benjamin a shaky smile.

Benjamin gave Lucille an encouraging pat on the back, before taking his glove off. "I think I could fix the tear streaks, but besides that, I think you still look queenly enough." He stated matter-of-factly before lightly brushing over the lines where the tears washed away her makeup. Lucille's laugh bubbled out uncertainly, and as Benjamin stood to grab her powder, she gave her response. "Thanks Ben." She whispered. Benjamin stopped in his tracks and turned to smile at his best friend. "Anything for you, Luce." He said her nickname in a reassuring way before starting to powder her face. It was done lightly, and Lucille's eyes were still a little red, but having a natural beauty already surrounding her, Benjamin has no doubt no one would notice.

The door burst open at that moment, scaring the knight as he did Lucille's makeup. A regal figure stood in her open door frame, his aura demanding attention. He was tall, with armor that was gold as well, and a cape that was a dark, deep orange. He had a lethal weapon strapped to his back, a long, sharp javelin, and he wore a helmet. He had long spiky hair, that looked like a lions mane. He had piercing light green eyes, that sent shivers down your spine. "Princess Lucille! It's time to get ready for your coronation." The man announced.

Benjamin and Lucille sent each other knowing glancing before they both broke out in giggles. "Really now," The knight in the doorway scowled at their behavior. "Please act your best for the royal court." Benjamin snorted as he put the powder brush away and slipped his glove back on, while the Princess stood and grinned at the knight at her door. "Of course Sir Leo, only the best for Father and the royal court." She mused, causing Benjamin to chuckle again.

"Shall we go, Your Royal Highness Lucille Renee Evangeline Celeste?" Benjamin bowed with a flourish, and rolled all of his R's in her name.

She sniffed in mock snobbery and took his hand. "Yes. I would love to, Sir Benjamin Thomas Clawhouser." She curtseyed deeply. Leo, the knight standing at the door, sighed deeply and pinched his nose. "When I said to act on your best behavior, I did not mean to act obnoxiously." Lucille and Benjamin exchanged looks again, obviously enjoying this joke.

Leo shook his head, and proceeded to turn and lead the two out of the room, and down the hallway. Lucille and Benjamin followed dutifully, whispering and joking together as friendly banter.

Lucille grabbed onto Benjamin's arm as the progressed closer to the Throne Room. "I appreciate you being able to do this for me, Ben. And on last minute too." She said, touching her finger to her chin. "I find it very curious that General Taurus allowed you to take off time the exact time of my coronation.... It's almost like fate has worked out this very event carefully." She said mysteriously.

Benjamin snickered. "Or perhaps several weeks of begging. Who knew General Taurus was such a headed bull?" He snickered, making Lucille snort.

"We're here." Leo interrupted. Lucille looked up, and sure enough, the large doors that would lead into the throne room stood before them. She could hear the bustling masses of people behind the doors, their excited voices making her anxious. Benjamin noticed how her grip on his arm tightened fervently. His gaze wandered to her slightly worried face, and he smiled.

"Luce," He whispered. Without looking up, she responded. "Yeah?" He watched her as she fiddled with her tiara. Lucille had always resorted to fidgeting when nervous, and Benjamin realized how he wasn't always going to be there for her now she was becoming the Queen. "I'm right here with you. You're not alone." He reassured her.

She looked up, a shocked look on her face. As Benjamin smiled down at her, she seemed to calm down. Her jitters seemed to stop, and she took a deep breath. "Thanks, Ben." She said, tugging on her finger.

"Anything for you, Luce." He repeated, his mantra added reassurance for the Princess.

"Princess Lucille."

Lucille turned to see Leo standing before her. His serious demeanor caused the Princess to become somber. She turned to face him, lowering her voice as she addressed him. "Yes, Sir Leo?" She asked.

"Please come with me." He said, offering his arm.

The Princess glanced at Ben. He raised his eyebrow, but let go of Lucille's arm. "Hurry. It's about to start." He warned. Lucille waved her hand dismissively. "We should be back soon, but don't start without me." She winked, grabbing onto Leo's arm. Leo guided Lucille to an abandoned hallway, stopping in the middle of it, and turned towards Lucy.

The knight knelt in front of her in respect. "Two weeks ago you told me to watch for anything suspicious. You then told me to report to you every once and a while." Leo said in a low voice. Lucille tensed and straightened. "And?"

"There has been a strange presence in the Celestial Kingdom for a few days. Most of the Celestial Guard has noticed besides myself. It doesn't seem threatening right now, but I would advise you to be careful, Princess Lucille." Leo said darkly.

Lucille nodded seriously, straightening. "Very well. You may rise, Sir Leo." She said authoritatively.

He rose slowly, coming to tower over her. She looked up and smiled. "Please continue to monitor the coronation and kingdom." She said.

Leo bowed. "Yes, Princess."

Leo then leaped onto the balcony and jumped off, landing on a nearby building. He then leaped from one to another, probably going to tell the other Celestial Guards of Princess Lucille's orders. Lucille then turned and walked back to the throne room doors.

"You ready?" Benjamin welcomed her with a cheeky smile, latching his arm with hers as the trumpets sounded.

Lucille sighed as the doors opened slowly. "Ready as I'll ever be." She said under her breath.

The doors opened to the dazzling bright light of several chandeliers and the roar of her subjects anticipation. The duo spared one more glance to each other before they were engulfed into the celebration.

 


	3. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself." }

In the throne room, where the crowning ceremony was to be held, the ceiling stood high and unattainable. It was painted with beautiful depictions of the heavens, gods and miracles painted delicately. Built into the sides of the great walls, a spacious, pristine balcony allowed more citizens to witness the coronation from above.

Among the crowd, a hooded figure stood near the center, watching as the princess entered the throne room. Her face was partially hidden, but seen was her rounded face, framed by curly, brown hair. Her piercing blue eyes watched as the princess gracefully walked down the red carpet with her escort.

The princess radiated beauty, practically glowing. Her white dress flounced begins her as she walked, and the glitter of her sparkly dress caught the eyes of everyone. She waved at several citizens, making their love for her grow. The gentleman who led her down the isle, was shining in refinement, and also just shining because of the polished surface of his armor. He stood adamantly, looking like a real knight, ready for anything. He held his head high with a sense of air of superiority, but he smiled gently, also giving himself some of the citizens love.

The robed figure smiled under her hood. This was the perfect time for them to prepare for the attack.

She brought her hood down, and a young woman is revealed. She has bright blue eyes and brown hair, a round nose and a somewhat long face, and a dimpled chin. She joins her hands together and a ball of pink magic forms. As she releases it, the people around her cringe at the sudden bright light.

But instead of lightning, or a laser beam destroying the throne room, little fireworks hat sparkles a delicate rose color filled the room. Princess Lucille looked up and her smile turned into a childish laugh. Benjamin looks up and smiled sweetly.

But the girl smirked. "The signal is out. The time of attack is coming." She sneered, her voice sickly sweet. She then turned around, and quickly walked to the deserted hallways.

Down on the main floor, an older looking woman scowled at the balcony where the girl just summoned her magic. The older woman had blue hair and blue eyes, and she had silver bands on her arms, and a silver band on her head. She had iridescent blue armor on, twin blades resting on her belt. She looked very agile, and strong, with an protective stare to accompany her looks.

The man beside her noticed her scowling and elbowed her gently in the side. "Something wrong, Aquarius?" He asked.

This man had red and white hair, with piercing eyes. He wore a yellow and red collar on his neck. His bare chest showing, but he had shoulder guards, and a cape that went to his ankles, as well as a knife on his belt. His helmets' front came down to his nose, and he had a red plume. He was concerned, and probably for good reasons though. When Aquarius gets unsettled, something serious going on.

Aquarius narrowed her eyes, then sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, Scorpio. Just overreacting. We need to focus on the task at hand." Aquarius said dismissively.

Scorpio watched her for a second then shrugged his shoulders, and continued to scan the premises for anything suspicious. Aquarius looked down, frowning.

"What was that I felt....?" She asked, looking back up, her eyebrows furrowed.

In another part of throne room, three more people stood, a young lady and a two young teenagers. The young lady had pink, curly hair, with a golden helmet on that had protruding ram horns. Her armor was as white as a cloud, with designs that made it look like clouds. She had a hammer strapped to her back, that was quite big for her small appearance. Her eyes were a soft brown, and she surveyed the area with a look of concern.

The two young teens looked exactly alike. They were the same height, they had the same blue short hair, and the same blue eyes. The only thing you could use to tell the difference was that one was a girl, the other a boy. They had on dark gray armor, that fit their small forms well, as well as making them more intimidating. They both had calvary swords strapped to their backs, and matching helms that had the same color as their cloaks. One was green, the other red.

A magical twinkling noise disturbed the trio. The young lady grabbed a set of keys that were hidden on her belt. She swished one in the air, and a small orb appeared. Leo appeared in the small orb, a stern look on his face.

"Aries. Is something wrong? I saw fireworks. I didn't know those were planned." Leo asked.

Aries shook her head. "They weren't planned, Leo. But I don't think they meant any danger. I'm sorry." She said apologetically.

Leo sighed. "There's no need to apologize, Aries." He said exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry." Aries said quietly.

"Aries, it's time." The two teens said simultaneously.

Aries looked up, and saw that Princess Lucy had made it to the thrones. She nodded her head. “Thanks Gemini." She looked back at Leo in his communication orb. "I have to go. Sorry." She said, holding her key up.

Leo nodded as well. "Make sure you keep your eyes open." He warned.

"Yes sir!" The Gemini twins said, as they saluted. Leo looks up at Aries. "Be careful, Aries." He said, looking at her with concern.

Aries blushed. "Yes, Leo. I'm sorry." She said, bowing.

Aries disconnected the magic orb and turned towards the thrones. She then walks forward, the twins following her closely. Others of the Celestial Guard came, except for those on the outside patrol. So, all those who stood at Princess Lucy's coronation included: Aquarius, Scorpio, Ares, Gemini, Libra, and Sagittarius.

The ones outside included: Leo, Taurus, Virgo, Pisces, Capricorn, and Cancer.

Lucille was so happy that all of her dear friends could make it to her coronation. Usually, the Celestial Guard had various duties, and almost could never come to special things like this. But her father had allowed for this.

This was a very important day for Lucille.

She cleared her throat nervously as she watched every one of her friends get into position and stand at attention. Benjamin stood by Lucille, a comforting presence as she faced the thrones. Soon, the head of the Diocese came up, the royal crown in hand. As he walked up the isle, the Celestial Guard held up their respected weapons, in veneration.

As he came, he walked with upmost tranquility, the large doors beside the thrones opened. On cue, everyone turned to acknowledge the Celestial King. Lucille smiled, though you could tell she was anxiety ridden. Her father was tall, with his royal robes fitting his limber frame. He had his saber on his decorative belt, and he looked as if he was still the king, with his air of superiority.

But, the crown was with the head of the Diocese.

Lucille’s father stood behind her, a warm smile on his aging face. She smiled back, feeling esteemed. "I'm so proud of you." The king said, leaning towards Lucy's ear.

Lucille nodded. "Thank you, father." She breathed.

The head Diocese reached her, and stood firmly in front of her. He turned to look at another religious leader, who came and took the pillow from him, and the head Diocese took the crown. The crown was golden, twelve little diamonds glittering brightly against the shiny metal. It was a grand crown, and was worthy of the title of queen of an entire world. The head Diocese then proceeded to address Lucille and her coronation.

"Princess Lucille Renee Evangeline Celeste. With the power invested in me, and by the authority of our former king, Celestial King Judas Ishmael Celeste of the Celestial World, I bestow upon you the crown of the royals. Do you promise to rule with upmost honesty, and live for your people?" His voice echoed off of the wall. The people of the hall quieted in anticipation as Lucille made her decision.

Lucille bowed her head, her mind crowded with doubtful thoughts. She swallowed and her eyes flickered to Benjamin who gave her a big smile. "I promise to do so, yes." She said loudly. The Diocese placed the crown on her and turned to the people.

"All hail, Queen Lucille Renee Evangeline Celeste of the Celestial World!" He exclaimed.

"All Hail Queen Lucille!" The congregation chorused. Lucy bowed her head in recognition, smiling brightly. Benjamin smiled as well, sadness in his eyes.

And thus starts the reign of Lucille Celeste, Queen of the Celestial World.

 

\--------------://////////:------------

 

The celebration afterwards was a blast. Once the crown had been accepted by the Princess and she became Queen, the drinks had been opened and food was served. Minstrels began playing upbeat melodies that the citizens were able to dance merrily to. Lucille began talking with the royals, including her father and Benjamin, but you could tell that she was affected by the atmosphere. Her smile never left her face, and with her knight by her side, she felt encouraged.

All of the Celestial Spirits had come to join the celebrations, except for Leo and Taurus. They were still acting a little cautious, but confident enough to just have the two of themselves guard.

Queen Lucille mingled several dignitaries who had come from across the five seas of the Celestial World to come see her coronation. Once the nicotine’s were over, it wasn’t insisted she joined in the festivities. She drank, danced, and had a great time.

After two hours of partying, and after the twenty fifth man asked her to dance, Lucille got tired and went to sit down. She fanned herself and watched all of her friends have a fun time. Scorpio and Aquarius were dancing close together, cuddling, while the Gemini twins caused trouble by doubling others and confusing some very well dressed foreigners. Aries was being pestered by several young bachelors, and Libra standing off to the side.

"My, my. This party was well planned." Lucille snickered to herself. As soon as the words left her mouth, someone responded.

"Wasn't it?"

Lucy turned to see a young man standing next to her. He was short, young man with, and had dark blue hair. His eyes were brown, and he had an air of superiority to him. He looked very familiar to her...

He smiled. "Prince Wendell Fyre, of Magnolia." He said, holding up a glass of champagne.

Lucille felt her heart shatter right then. "F-Fyre...?" She asked feebly.

The young man automatically grimaced, and looked down. "Yes." The Prince looked up at Lucille. “You were my brother’s fiancée.” He did not ask as a question. Lucille’s memories flooded in all at once. Of course, she had seen Wendell before at the funeral, but she hadn’t gotten to properly meet him. She had been more preoccupied not breaking down in front of all those people whocattended his services.

Lucille clenched her fist around her fan, her chest tightening as she formed a response. "Yes. Natsu was a great man. I’m sure you knew, but... I- ... I loved him very much." Her voice cracked, and the silence between them solidified.

Wendell cleared his throat and looked down at his drink. "He would be proud of you though. He was very excited for you to become the next Queen. It's too bad he couldn't see it....." His solemn response made Lucille’s mind plummet once again and she’s wondered why she was doing this again. She had made a promise to him. They were going to do this together, and now...

The Queen blinked away tears, and turned her head away. Natsu Fyre, first born son of the Fyre's, was killed by a dark wizard, along with his father. This happened almost a year ago, and she had been convinced she had moved on. But, anytime his name is mentioned... She couldn't help but break down.

Lucille cleared her throat and recomposed herself. In an attempt to change the topic, she grabbed herself a drink and stood.

"He did always talk about his little brother, though. 'Little Wendell', is what he always referred you to as. I can see why.” She said ruffling his hair.

He frowned in annoyance, and tried to slap her had away, a red blush on his face. "D-did he now? Of course he would, he’d say annoying things like that all the time!" He said stiffly.

Lucille shook her head. "It was good to finally meet you though. I can see you take after your mother. And though he always talked about your father, he mentioned that your mother meant a lot to him as well. I'm sure your mother is an excellent person." Lucille said sweetly.

Wendell blushed a deeper red. "Well, I've been told you look a lot like your mother." He said with a pout, turning his head away.

Lucille didn't look very surprised. She was actually told she looked a lot like her mother on a daily basis. Though, she found it the biggest compliment anyone could give her. It made it her warm inside to know that so many were reminded of Hernandez mother when they met her. Lucille’s was a truly beautiful person, inside and out. It meant the world to her.

"Thanks Wendell." The Queen said distantly.

Wendell watched as Lucy left, a smile on her face, but sadness in her eyes. Wendell's elder brother would often talk about Lucille’s beauty and how she was such a strong and kindhearted person. Wendell confirmed that with one conversation with her, and he suddenly realized why his brother was so enamored with her. “If only you were here now, brother.” Wendell murmured, and he took one more sip of his drink before returning to the masses himself.

 

\------------://///////////:---------

 

 

Lucille saw her father and made a beeline towards him. Talking to him would ease her mind immensely. She walked over casually, bowing her head to those who acknowledged her, and then finally coming to him.

"Father." Lucille acknowledged, curtsying.

Her father turned, and smiled when he saw his daughter. "Queen Lucy, my daughter." He said, bowing as well.

Lucille looked up. "How are doing, Father?" She asked, placing her arm on his. Jude tilted his head, a knowing smile on his face. "I feel much better. Becoming older every second doesn't help though." He added, jokingly.

He looked at her with a loving gaze. "Seeing you become Queen, and watching you say your vows, reminded me of how mature you're becoming," He said sweetly. "And I can't help but think.... One day, you’re not going to need me anymore." He said quieter, his eyes getting glassy.

Lucille felt her throat tightened and she brought her father in for a hug. She then took her fathers hand in hers, wiping the stray tear that escaped his eyes. "Father... that day will never come." She said quietly.

Their tender moment was interrupted however by a loud wail of sirens. The entire room silenced as the sirens sounded again, before the panicked voices of troubled citizens rose again. The former king listened intently, before turning to the Celestial Guard that were in the vicinity. “There has been a breach in the castle wall. Be alert -.” The windows of the Throne room shattered, sending glass everywhere. Judas grabbed Lucille, shielding her from the glass. The Celestial Guard drew their weapons as the crashing noise sounded again, shaking the castle this time. The main doors of the throne room opened and Virgo stood there, a panicked look in her usually blank eyes.

"We're under attack!" Virgo yelled. "Evacuate the palace!" She commanded.

Everyone was shocked to hear that their palace was under siege. Then, once another crash sounded, the guests started to scream and dash towards the doors, courtesy and orderliness discarded as everyone ran for their lives. Lucille and her father were trying to keep the calm, trying to find solace in the chaos.

Just as everyone started to bustle out of the door, a figure came hurtling right through the broken windows, sending remaining glass everywhere. Benjamin made just in time to shield Lucille and her father, as they both clung to each other.

As the commotion settled down, Lucille looked over Benjamin's shoulder. As she did, her eyes widened at the sight. Lying on the floor, with several bruises, cuts, and wounds, with blood pouring from his injuries, lay General Taurus. Lucy pushes out of Benjamin’s arms despite his protests, and knelt beside her faithful friend.

"Taurus! Are you okay?" Lucille asked fervently.

"Q-Queen... Lucille..." He whispered, tuning his head. "My... apologies, majesty... I c-could not pro-protect the castle....." He said softly, croaking slightly.

"It's fine, Taurus, just get up so we can get you healed," Lucille’s voice shook, trying to get Taurus up, her eyes stinging with tears.

"My Queen... Will you give me the honor... To have a proper farewell... From you...?" He whispered, his eyes starting to close.

Lucille’s eyes let the tears flow out, her hand still jerking Taurus' hand, trying to get him to stand up. She wiped her tears, but slowly nodded her head.

"As the Queen, General Taurus I release you from duty as a Celestial Guard. May your..." She hiccuped, and started to tremble. "M-may your spirit live on-on in the world p-past this one..." She choked out.

"Thank you...." He managed as he closed his eyes.

His hand went limp in hers, and she let her tears pour out more profusely. As she continued to grieve, a shout interrupted her thoughts.

"Queen Lucille!"

Lucille looked back to see Benjamin looking at her with concern. "Luce! Get out of the way!" He yelled again.

Lucille looked up, seeing two figures descending down to her and Taurus. She automatically grabbed Taurus's body defensively. In the process, her dress became soaked and stained with blood. But she didn't care. Just as the figures were about to land, someone grabbed Lucille and took her away from the two mysterious personages. She looked up in surprise, to see Capricorn holding her, a determined look on his face, and one of his keys in his hand.

"Key of Speed." He chanted, the key sparkling with golden magic power. He then looked at his Queen. "Your Majesty. Please, be more careful." He instructed, calmly, putting her down.

"Capricorn..." Lucille murmured, her face still tear streaked.

She looked back at Taurus's corpse, to see the two figures that had landed. One of them was the young woman from earlier, her brown hair and blue eyes radiating pure evil. Her long face held a cold smirk.

The person beside her was new. He was considerably taller than the woman, his thin, lanky frame made him seem skeleton like. He had deathly pale skin, with stringy red hair framing his face. His eyes seemed to look around longingly, as if searching for some amusement. They both seemed to be weaponless, but something just seemed to be off about them. It seemed as though their magic power was effecting their personas. It was bone-chilling.

"General Taurus, taken down. That's one of the Celestial Guard." The young woman had a sickly smile creep on her face as she peered down on the General. Lucille’s chest ached with lost, and her eyes stung as her tears threatened to spill again. They killed him? They had killed her friend, and acted as if it was a game?!

Lucille heard a fierce battle cry from above her, one that rang with pure hatred and anger. She looked up to see Leo coming down with his javelin. His anger was evident by his eyes, and the magic power radiating off of him. He headed straight for the tall one, the point of his javelin pointing towards the mans head.

"You killed him! You killed him, you bastard - !" Leo started.

But then the javelin hit something invisible. The tall male seemed to have a force field around him, and he barely moved from Leo's attack. Leo braced himself as he was sent hurtling in a different direction.

"Leo!" Aries screamed. Lucille gasped in shock, and almost went running after him when Benjamin stood in front of her.

"No, Luce. We should get you out of here." He said sternly.

Lucille looked up, and was about to protest, when she saw the look on his face. He was truly conflicted as well. Pain held firm in his eyes, but he was trying to stay calm for her. For Lucy, he was restraining himself from running out there himself, and killing the two who had killed General Taurus.

After all, Taurus meant a lot to him as well.

Lucy calmed down. "But what about my father - ?"

"Ah, former King Judas Celeste. Can I call you Jude? Fancy meeting you here! I thought you were dying!"

Lucille turned her attention to the voice, peering over Benjamin's shoulder to see the young woman with brown hair addressing her father. Her father looked back, a neutral look on his face. "It's nice to see you actually care, Aleena." He father replied casually.

Lucille’s mouth dropped open. "They know each other....?" She whispered.

The one called Aleena snickered and folded her arms. "Sure, whatever you want to call it." She said, looking away from him.

"And I see you brought Itsuki. Well, let me be the first to say," her father started. "You are not welcome here." He said the last part coldly.

"Ah, but old man, we came to see your darling daughters coronation! And let me tell you, at first I thought it was your precious wife at first! Your daughter looks almost identical to your late spouse! But you know what would make them almost alike?" She asked, turning to look at the new Queen.

"If she were to have blood decorating that beautiful pale neck of hers."  
Aleena cooed coldly, smiling evilly at Lucille.

Lucille felt a heart stop for a second, and she stepped back. She had barely met this woman, but the look on her face... Lucille was scared out of her mind.

"No!" A courageous shout sounded.

Lucille turned her head to see that Aries had helped Leo up, and they were both fuming mad. Leo had been the one that had yelled, and he brandished his javelin, clearly with the intent to kill.

"You will never lay your hand on another Celeste ever again, you traitors!" Leo yelled, his eyes burning with hatred.

"...Another... Celeste...?" Lucille questioned.

"Lucille, we need to get out of here." Benjamin whispered urgently. "I agree with Sir Clawhouser. We'd better leave." Capricorn said, putting a firm hand on Lucille’s shoulder.

Lucille continued to stare in shock at the two people standing before her father. Had they killed another Celeste?

Had they been the ones to kill....

Her mother?

"Aleena, Itsuki, you're not welcome here. Exit this kingdom, or be put to death!" Jude Celeste yelled, taking out his saber and wielding it.

Aleena got in her readied stance, and smirked at Lucille's father. "Bring it on." She said confidently. Around the mage, shadows started to grow, any from the puddles of shadows came monsters. Lucille watched in horror as they appeared from out of thin air, making a small troupe of monsters to fight the guard. 

Itsuki and Aleena prepares for the oncoming battle by expanding their magic aura’s. Leo and Aries, and the rest of the Celestial Guar waited for a command, letting their aura’s adjust to the threat level. Tension was great in the throne room. Lucille watched in horror as her father took a step forward, initiating the fight between the sides.

Before the two sides clashed, a harsh breeze blew from no where. It stopped the progression of the battle, and sent chills throughout the entire hall. The former King has no time to react before a shadow monster flew as him, grabbing his sword hand. Jude was surprised, and barely managed to kill the spirit before his saber dissolved into shadow.

"Father!" Lucille screamed.

"Jude!" Leo exclaimed.

"Stop." Someone said coldly, the words echoing off of the walls.

Everyone froze at that last phrase spoken. A dark aura flared up out of nowhere, and Lucille held her breath as she felt a spell activate in the room. The shadows spirits shrunk at the flow of magic, as if reducing the power they had to allow the user for a binding spell. Leo and Ares were both stopped in the middle of the floor, their gaze looking for the source of the voice. The other celestial spirits were frozen in mid attack, and Lucille was being held back by Benjamin and Capricorn.

Jude seemed unaffected by the binding spell that was being used to contain the Celestial Guard, his old eyes focused sharply to the source of the voice. It was silent throughout the hall as Lucille swallowed her fear.

"That's better. Now, let's get to business." The voice sounds once again.

Leo and Ares both looked up to see another figure emerging from the broken windows. He had a black cloak on, the hood low enough to cover his face. His very aura radiated black magic from before. Lucille’s own magic power was enough to protect herself from his sinister intent, though she’s still felt chills as his power washed over hers. The man must've felt her aura, because he turned his head.

As soon as his eyes landed on Lucille, he stopped his progression and faced her direction. After a while, he continued his descent, keeping his gaze on Lucille.

Benjamin must've noticed, because he stood in front of Lucille, a protective scowl on his face. He didn't like this guy. Especially since he was obviously in league with the two that had killed his mentor and friend.

The mysterious character seemed maddened by Benjamin's action, but he just clenched his fist and turned away from them. He turned his full attention to the man watching him with such concentrated fury: Jude Celeste, the former king of the Celestial World.

"Ah, Uncle Jude. It's been a while. Do you remember me?" The figure asked, stepping towards the man.

The former King did not let his guard down, but instead let his own magic aura seep through the room, letting the Dark Wizard he was raring to fight. Lucille was shocked to feel her father’s murderous intents affect her so jarringly. She’s _never_ seen her father this way.

What also confused the Queen was the way these opponents had addressed her father. They obviously had a connection - but what was that?

"You do not belong here." Jude’s voice was calm, charged with electricity.

Lucille had heard her father speak this way only once. That had been the day her mother had died... Ever since that day, he was more mellow and solemn, as if he’d lost his fighting spirit with her mother, It’d effected them both tremendously, though in different ways. Her heart yearned for the past, though the conversation at hand carried on.

The Wizard hummed amusedly. "I belong anywhere I want, Uncle." He said, spreading his arms out.

Lucille had only a moment to blink before Benjamin disappeared from her view. She watched with amazement as he materialized in front of the Wizard, swinging his sword widely. Benjamen’s sword barely grazed the Wizard San he dodged, but allowed for more space between the former King and the Wizard  

Pride swelled in Lucille’s heart as she watched Benjamin brandish his sword, the dust still swirling around from his quick attack. The former King watched with narrow eyes, unfazed by the action, but the two henchman of the Wizard were on their guard.

”He’s fast for a Palace pig!” Aleena sneered, her magic radiating her distaste. 

“The former King has expressed his wishes, and I’m sure that the current monarch will agree,” Benjamin slashed his sword through the air and started walking towards his opponents. “I’m afraid if you don’t leave, I will have to kill you.” Benjamin’s words were dripping with promise. With one glance as his white-knuckles clutch on his sword, Lucille could tell he was itching for a fight. 

The Queen was also wanting to fight the enemies that were standing before her. Her animosity was growing every second she saw them defling the very ground where her guard had put their lives in the line. Even now, she noticed that those who were frozen in time looked determined to protect the kingdom. Surely the Queen would want to do everything to preserve her kingdom?

Lucille did not have time to dwell on her thoughts however, when the Wizard made a direct path to the King. Benjamin blocked his path, effectively stopping the Wizard with his sword. This allowed Jude to grab a sword from a frozen Celestial Guard, and charge towards the Wizard. Itsuki leapt forward, propelled by his branches to intercept the King. However, Leo and Aries moved in, both of them focusing their strength at keeping him as bay. 

"Capricorn..." Lucille said under her breath.

The celestial spirit was at her queen's side immediately. "Yes, your highness." He said, bowing.

"I need guidance; should I join as well?" Lucille asked formally, frowning. She moved to side, carefully watching every move, and staying far out of range. Capricorn grimaced. "I would not suggest it, your highness.” The clashing of swords and magic grew louder as the fight prolonged, Lucille focused her attention solely on the fight, but felt something was missing.

”And why is that, Cap?” Lucille was becoming frustrated, and she sent the white-haired man a pointed glare as her response. Capricorn simply raised a brow, drawing a couple of blades from his pocket.

”Perhaps if you came to your physical training more often, Queen Lucille, I would have given you different advice.” He sniffed, his eyes narrowing as he turned his head, as if looking for something. Lucille observed Benjamin and her father cleverly strike the Wizard, rending immobile, and the answer to her confusion was on the tip of her tongue.

"Are the numbers not adding up, your highness?" A chilling voice said, standing behind Lucille.

It happened in seconds. Lucille managed to turn on her heel to watch a punch collide with her chest. The air was knocked out of her the instant Aleena made contact, and the Queen went hurtling towards the floor. She landed with a hard impact, and was stopped by dessert table. Capricorn was at her side immediately.

"My Queen!" He exclaimed, his expression bewildered as he gingerly assisted Lucille to a sitting position.

She opened her eyes, and coughed. "I'm fine Capricorn. Help me stand." She commanded, struggling to get up.

"Luce!" Benjamin yelled, while fighting the wizard.

"I'm fine!" Lucille gasped, standing by herself.

She looked for her attacker and saw Aleena standing a few yards away. She had a cold smirk on her face, her eyes glowing with amusement.

"Did I ruin your pretty dress, Queen?!" She giggled.

Lucille grabbed her dress bodice and effectively ripped it in half, leaving only her underdress. "I don't care about such petty things.” Capricorn smiles knowingly as focused on Aleena. Lucille continued, breathing in deeply and rubbing her sore stomach.

“What I care about is the fact that your defiling my people’s kingdom with your presence." Lucille said, scrunching her nose in distaste.

Aleena snarled, crouching as if ready to attack. Capricorn easily mirrored the action, a terrific expression crossing his features as he readied for a fight. However, Lucille held a hand out to him, and she stepped forward. “I’ve got her. That punch was nothing compared to Aquarius’.” Lucille shrugged, rolling her shoulders as she did.

Looks like she was getting involved.

Aleena smiled with cold amusement as she watched Lucille stretch. “What are you gonna do to me, Ms. Queen?” Aleena mocked distress as she continued. “Will you bore me with useless facts about justice -?”

The Queen interrupted her by coming forward and punching Aleena in the face. It made her skid back, and tumble onto the ground. Lucille smiled smugly, shaking her hand. "I don’t think someone like _you_ could ever understand something like justice." Lucille sneered.

Aleena glared at Lucille with no amusement anymore. "Now you've done it! Come here so I can kill you!" She said angrily.

Lucille put her fists up. "Bring it." She said, smirking.

Aleena surged forward, her arm changing into a blade. Lucille clicked her tongue, and easily dodged it. As Aleena flew past her, Lucille punched Aleena's upper arm, a loud crack resonating from the wound.

Aleena screeched. "You broke my arm!" She snarled, holding her arm. She turned to face Lucille . "How strong can a queen be?!" She yelled.

Lucille simply brandished her hands, still gloved. "Come over here and I'll show you." She said fiercely. Aleena yelled out in frustration and held up her other arm, and transformed it into a blade like before. She came forward, and in her anger, slashed ferociously at the Queen. Luckily, Lucille managed to dodge all of them. Some of them were close calls.

Aleena grew tired and stopped for a while. Lucille backed from her as far as she could and noticed how heavily she was breathing.

Capricorn was watching closely, a strained look on his face. She simply waved, hoping it would assure him that she knew what she was doing. As Lucille continued to breathe heavily, she noticed that her feet were hurting. She looked down to see her nude heels squeezing her feet, and that one of the heels had broken. She shook her head and bent down to yank them off. She then continued to make improvements, ripping off the bottom of her tattered skirt.

"There!" Lucille sighed, flexing her arms.

Aleena growled and changed her arm into a sword again, only this time it had barbed sides. Lucille grimaced and got in a preparatory stance. Aleena cried out as she wielded her sword, running straight for the Queen. Lucille quickly dodged to the side, feeling positive the effects of her adjustments on her outfit. As she flew to the right, she landed on her feet with grace, and found herself back to back with her father, and he faced the hooded figure.

"Hello father. How are you?" Lucille asked politely, neatly dodging another attack.

Jude chuckled. "Just fine. I haven't felt this young for a while." He held his sword high, cutting a shadow-like attack away. Lucille hummed. "Well, you still look as old as ever." She mused, grunting as she narrowly dodged an attack.

Jude stared in shock at his daughter. "What cruelty! I thought I raised you better than that!" He said, slashing his saber at his opponent. Lucille fronted innocence. "Uh-Oh! Did I say that out loud?!" She exclaimed. Jude smirked. "I swear.... You act more and more like your mother everyday." He said, summoning a magic circle and firing at the wizard.

Lucille came to a stop as Aleena stopped a good few yards in front of her, obviously exhausted. Lucille smirked. "What? Can't keep up with a Queen?" She taunted, grinning.

Aleena's widened with anger and she gnashed her teeth together. "You insolent brat!" She said, her words dripping virulently. "I'll kill you!" She screamed. Aleena created a metal case around her broken arm, and forced it to become a sword. She gritted her teeth and scrunched her nose. She then surged forward, and Lucille expecting her to come for her, prepared to intercept and end this fight. But, Aleena veered off to another direction, heading straight for the un-prepared Capricorn. Lucille realized Aleena's actions too late and she reached her hand out as if it would help.

"Capricorn!" She screamed.

Capricorn braced himself, using only his smaller blades to block Aleena’s much bigger one. He managed to divert her attack away, so he could summon a bigger blade. Lucille dashed towards them, determined to distract Aleena from Capricorn. But while Capricorn was switching blades, Aleena used her broken arm and forced it to transform into a jagged blade similar to her other arm.

Lucille watch in horror as Aleena went for Capricorn’s vulnerable sides, and cut straight through his chest. Lucille felt a scream rip through her throat more than hear it. Capricorn coughed up blood, his body shaking violently. In his last moments of life, Capricorn managed to get one of his throwing knifes in his grasp, and he plunged it into Aleena's back.

She cried out in pain and backed away, pulling her blade roughly from his chest. He cried out one final time before falling to the ground, dead. Aleena hissed and tried to grab the dagger from her back to no avail. Through clenched teeth she growled at the fall Guard.

"That spirit! That really hurt, you stupid bitch." Aleena snarled, kicking the corpse of the celestial spirit of the ram. Lucille came from behind Aleena and grabbed the knife that was in Aleena's back. Before the woman could get the Queen off of her back, Lucille twisted the knife and plunged it in further. Aleena screeched and pushed away from the Queen, managing to get a few yards away before collapsing.

Lucille’s heart pounded as she heaved, tired from her sudden dash towards Aleena. She took a step backwards, only to step in some glass. But she couldn't bring herself to care as she faced Capricorn’s dead body. “You killed him." Lucille croaked, covering her mouth. Tears started to blur her sight, and she shook vigorously. This was all a dream. She would wake up and find out the coronation was that day. She would still have her friends. She wouldn't be crying now.

In Lucille’s misery, Itsuki managed to free himself from his battle and come from behind Lucy. He picked up one of Capricorn's throwing knife's. Lucille felt his presence, and turned to see him loomed over her, his cold eyes staring unforgivingly at her. Lucille gasped as the knife came towards her, going to impale her right in her back. And it was about to do so, when Lucille’s father got in the way.

It happened so fast, Lucille thought.

One moment, she was standing there, grieving over the loss of her friend, and the next....

She was pushed out of the way of the blade.

The blade came down, finding a mark to sink it's cold surface into.

That mark just so happened to be Jude Celeste's throat.

Lucille let out an unearthly scream as she watched her father be killed, blood gushing from his wound. His eyes were staring into hers as they quickly lost all life in them. She saw the pain, and the sorrow that was held in them. And her heart shattered.

"Father!" Lucille screamed, as time seemed to come back to it's normal pace. Her father's body crashed onto the ground, sending blood across the floor and onto Lucille's tattered dress. Lucille stared in horror at her father's lifeless corpse lying before her, and she couldn't handle it. She started to cry like never before.

"Jude!" Benjamin called out, sounding horrified.

Tears fell out like a waterfall, and she couldn't see anymore. She fell to her knees and she held her hands to her chest. Itsuki stood above the body, a shadow covering his face as she cried. He didn't move, even when everyone else stopped to see what had happened.

Leo stood from the point where he had been knocked down, and gazed in disbelief at the dead body of Jude Celeste, former king of the Celestial World. Leo's eyes widened and he himself started to cry.

"You know what needs to be done, Leo." Aries said sternly, picking up her weapon again. Leo barely had time to nod before she charged forward, wielding her weapon and causing it to come towards Itsuki. Itsuki moved quickly, and continued to dodge at every swing that Aries made.

While that was happening, Leo snapped back to reality, and grimaced. While Aries was facing off Itsuki, he quickly dashed to Lucille’s side.

"You majesty. We need to go." Leo said sternly. Lucille looked up and Leo winced. The pain, and sadness in those eyes were beyond what they should be. That kind of pain.... No one should have to endure it. And yet, here was Lucille, enduring every second of this pain crying it out.

"Leo.... What am I going to do?" Lucille croaked, looking back at her father's corpse. Leo took her hand and helped her stand up. 

“First we need to get you out of here.” Lucille started to nod, before her eyes widened and she  turned to those still fighting and the frozen Celestial Guard. “What about... about them?” Lucille rasped, her hand squeezing Leo’s. She turned to face Leo, her eyes watering again. 

“What about Ben?” She whimpered. Leo gathered her in his arms, before he started guidling her towards the exit. 

“We’ll meet them later. It’s all part of the plan.” Leo murmured, keeping an eye on the last two members. 

Lucille looked down, and then at her father. She sniffled and nodded her head. "What plan?" She asked weakly, looking at Leo. Leo grimaced again and looked Lucille in the eyes.

"Plan Omega."


	4. Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." }

O 

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"Plan Omega?" Lucille croaked as she gazed back at her father. Leo placed a hand over the Queen's eyes, and turned her head to face away from the dead body. “Don’t dwell on it too much, your Highness.” Leo gritted out bitterly. “There will be plenty of time to grieve once we’re safe, Lucille.”

The Dark Wizard caught their movements and quickly changed tactics. “I’m not letting my treasure escape again!” He turned his back on Benjamin, making a mad dash towards Leo and Lucille. The Shadow beasts that were reduced to nothing at the beginning of the fight were now resurfacing, their opaque bodies reaching for the Queen. Leo guarded her, his javelin aimed for the kill.

Benjamin was faster than before, a dark blue magic energy forming around him as he stood his ground against Dark Wizard. Three expert movements of his sword, and the shadow beasts were cut down, leaving the Wizard on his own. Benjamin has completely stopped the wizards tracks, and held his sword up defensively.

“Leo. Please take care of Luce.” Benjamin’s voice was low and wet, as tears from his own eyes were threatening to spill. Leo nodded firmly, gathering an incoherent Lucille in his arms as he resumed his way to the exit of the room. “I will do everything in my power to give you time.”

Benjamin turned his attention back to the Wizard who had watched the exchange with frenzied eyes. “You will never have my Luce.” Benjamin growled, unsheathing a smaller blade to dual-wield. The Wizard hunched over, shakingnangrily as his aura grew more threatening by the second.

“Yours?” The Wizard whispered. “Lucille is _mine_!”

Lucille failed to connect the dots as Leo pulled on her arm. An Omega Plan? What were they talking about? Her mind was muddled with the events that just took place, and she struggle to form a comprehensive thought. All that kept replaying in her mind was the draining of life from her father's eyes. She spared one last glance to see Benjamin looking so determined, so _alive_. Oh, hos she wanted nothing more than for him to stay that way.

Aries was landing successive blows on Itsuki, holding her own brilliantly. Both knights were keeping their opponent at bay just so she could escape. How did they know that their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain? They fought for her, but what worth did she have besides being the Queen?

Leo had reached the door with Lucille in tow, her unresponsive attitude making it easy for him to drag her along, when a metal wall covered the exit. Leo wheeled around, shoving Lucille behind him as he wielded his lance.

Aleena stood tall, despite blood pouring out of her numerous wounds. She smiled, clutching her wounds as if they were nothing. "No passing here, little insects!" She snarled. She stumbled, but held her ground and smirked. Leo scoffed, twirling his lance in a show of intimidation, before throwing it in her direction. His aim was close, but Aleena still managed to dodge, making the gap between even smaller.

"Ha! You missed - ." Aleena started, before the iron wall blocking the throne room doors was sent flying towards her. Leo pushed Lucille out of the way, so they didn't get crushed by the wall as well. As soon as the dust cleared from the large iron wall, Leo looked to see what, or who, it was that knocked down the giant wall. That's when Wendell entered the ballroom with a bewildered look on his face. He saw Lucille and relief flooded his features.

"Queen Lucille! You're safe! We need to get you to out of here - ." He gasped, stopping when his eyes scanned the room. He witnessed the ongoing battles, and was thoroughly shocked to see three dead bodies on the ground. And he let out a mournful whimper as he realized that the former King's body was among them.

Before Wendell could ask about the happenings of the evening, the golden knight grabbed his arm as well, and dragged them out of the throne room. Leo made his way through the empty corridors, stepping over the fallen bodies of the guests of the party and staff of the castle. He searched for the staircase leading downstairs, heading for the basement of the castle. Outside the castle, Lucille watched as several shadow-like monsters attacked her kingdom. She clutched her hand tightly to her chest, and a dry sob escaped her mouth.

"What's happening out there?" Lucille asked hoarsely. Wendell grimaced. "Not long after those mysterious people crashed the party, those monsters appeared and started terrorizing the city. The ground soldiers managed to get the majority of the people out, but it would've been faster with the Celestial Guard." Wendell said, trailing behind Leo as they went down the stairs.

"What happened with Jude?" Wendell asked softly, looking down.

Lucille looked down as well, pain still piercing her heart. But, she wasn't crying. It was like she was sucked dry of tears and couldn't cry anymore. The pain still throbbed and ached horribly, but it seemed as if she were to broken to even care. "My father was killed saving me." Lucy croaked, smirking. "So did Taurus. And Capricorn." Lucille despaired, being broken evident in her voice.

Leo stopped and Lucille collided with his armored back. Leo turned and stared harshly at Lucille. "I thought I told you not to dwell on them right now! Holding onto it isn't going to make it any better, especially when it wasn't in your control." He barked quietly, staring at her coldly. "So stop blaming yourself!" He exclaimed, turning and continuing to descend the stairs.

Lucille grimaced, biting her lip just to feel it.  _So stop blaming yourself!_ How could she do that knowing that everyone who had died today would've been alive this very moment if she had been stronger?  _So stop blaming yourself!_ Leo's words echoed in her head as she continued down the stairs. Finally they came to a large cellar, in which Leo came up to, and pulled a torch. The wall flipped over, and a bookcase appeared. Wendell threw his hands in the air, staring dubiously at the bookshelf.

"So, now we have to get a certain book, and we switch to the other side?" He sarcastically assumed, thinking of all the books he had read.

Leo pursed his lips. "Not necessarily." he said, walking to the torch on the other side of the wall. He grabbed that torch and pulled it down as well. A book popped out of the bookcase, and Leo picked it up. He opened it up, and a secret compartment was in the book. In the compartment, was a small key. Leo grabbed the key, and walked over the closet door in the far right corner of the cellar. There he inserted the key and gestured for Lucy and Wendell to come towards him. Wendell placed his hand on the small of Lucille's back, guiding her first into the corridor, he being close behind her, and Leo taking the rear. After they entered and closed the closet door, the bookcase automatically disappeared back to where it came from, leaving no trace that they were there.

Lucille made her way through the small hallway that led to the secret room that she had no idea there was. "Just a little further." Leo told them as they turned a corner. As they did, Wendell couldn't help but gasp as they exited the tunnel, to a large cathedral like room, with a high roof, and stained glass windows. In the middle of the room, there was a large magic circle, with different inscriptions from normal magic from the Celestial World. It was huge and took up most of the floor. In the center of the magic circle was an alter.

"An old sacrificial church from the Dark Ages?" Wendell guessed, looking at the stained glass windows. They showed a revelation from divine beings, and the Celestial Gods aiding them in some sort of battle. It was beautifully depicted, and the Prince couldn't help but stare at them in awe. "They're gorgeous..." He admired, twirling around.

Leo walked over to a large cabinet-like thing, which he opened hastily. He pulled out three bags of provisions and a scepter that was really short. He then took out a smaller bag, that was really light with something clanking loudly inside. But it wasn't metal. He walked over to the two that were admiring the cathedral.

He handed the scepter to Lucille. "This here will be your summoner scepter of sorts. You'll be able to summon us Celestial Guard. It won't be the actual Celestial Guard's, but it's part of their life force, including my own. It will be your way channeling your power." Leo informed. Lucille turned to look at the scepter, and received it from Leo, but her reaction was limited. 

Leo sighed heavily, eyeing her wearily, before turning the Prince. He handed Wendell the small bag. "When you killed the Sky Dragon, her heart became one with yours. Where we are going, you won't be able to channel that power correctly. So here, take this." He said, opening the bag.

A large white pendant fell into Wendell's outstretched hands. "This here will transfer the dragon's heart into it, and make it easier to access the power. Just make sure you keep a good eye on it." Leo said. Wendell nodded and attached the pendant to his shirt. It gleamed a bright blue for a second, before dimming back down, and becoming alive, with a small heartbeat as well. "It's... alive!" Wendell grabbed the pin, feeling the heartbeat pound with wonder.

Leo returned his attention to the magic circle encompassing the majority of the room, making sure that it was still intact.

Wendell was confused. "Leo, why do we need all of this? Where are we going?" He asked.

Leo opened his mouth to answer, when a large crash sounded fro the small closet door they had emerged from. They all turned to look at the door with wide eyes. They needed to move faster. Leo turned and headed towards the cabinet-like thing again, and pulled out a crystal. He moved to the center of circle, standing in front of the altar. He took the crystal and placed it on top of the altar. He then took a knife from his belt, and cut his palm. Blood splattered onto the crystal, causing it to start humming and vibrating.

Wendell watched as the crystal started glowing when Leo began chanting in an ancient language. The small door from which they had come from was undisturbed, simply increasing the anticipation.

After a while of Leo's chanting, the entire magic circle started glowing with the crystal, pulsing when the crystal pulsed. Leo's chant soon came to a close, and with a quick breath, he opened his eyes and said the last words.

"Anima!" He called out.

The ground started to shake, and Lucille stumbled slightly. Wendell stared at the ground with squinted eyes, holding his balance with expertise. Leo stood before the Altar holding his hands together, and his own power was sustaining the crystal. Just as the portal started glowing, the closet door burst open, and the three traitors made their way into the room, the hooded figure in the lead. He seemed shocked as the portal started to engulf the three escaping. "They started a portal! My Queen is escaping!" The hooded figure screamed.

Itsuki quickly went into action, summoning a vine from the ground. He swung it at Wendell, and he managed to dodge. But Itsuki obviously didn't plan that, because when Wendell dodged, the plant went for the next available target:

Lucille.

It hit her in the ribs, and she went flying to the side. Wendell ran and grabbed her before the portal fully engulfed the contents of the giant magic circle. A flash of bright white light blinded the three traitors, and soon, there was nothing left of the Queen, the Knight, or the Prince.

The hooded figure cursed and turned towards Itsuki. "You were supposed to stop them! Instead, you hurt my Lucille!" He roared, kicking Itsuki hard in the chest. Itsuki doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, as Aleena came to comfort him. She dared not oppose to the hooded one, so she instead picked Itsuki up and hauled him away to get medical attention.

The hooded figure looked at the ground of the cathedral, analyzing the magic circle. He bent down, and trailed his fingers along the lines of circle. He then chuckled darkly and stood, brushing himself off.

"So they went to Earthland, eh?" He laughed. "You soon will be mine again, my dear Celestial Queen." The hooded figure said, clutching his fist. 

 

 

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It was raining.

A quiet farm sat at the bottom of the hill, standing abandoned for property issues. There was a woods next to it, covered in lush, dark green foliage. A bright white light flashed in the woods, causing a flock of birds to fly away, frightened by the sudden change.

From the flash of light, three figures appeared. One was standing, and the other two were laying on the ground. Leo was the one who stood, staring wide eyed in front of him, clearly shocked from summoning that much power. He unlocked his hands and looked around to see Wendell and Lucille laying on the ground, probably knocked unconscious from the travel through dimensions.

Leo looked at the world around him. "So... this is Earthland." He said quietly.

He limped over to the two young teenagers and picked them up, one on each arm. Grabbing the provision bags, he trudged towards the abandoned farm house, slipping several times, no thanks to the rain puddles. He kicked the door open, and stumbled into the farm house, laying the two gently on the rug that was closest. He then shut the door, and collapsed from exhaustion. 

 

 

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When Wendell came to, every muscle in his body started screaming in agony. A hoarse moan escaped his mouth, and his eyes resisted every urge to open. But he forced them open, and he found himself staring at old, shifty rafters.

His eyebrows creased and he frown slightly. His room didn't have cobwebs...

That's when every memory flashed in his mind and a strangled gasp escaped his mouth. Despite his aching body, he sat up abruptly and looked around to gather his surroundings. He was in a small room, from the looks of the furniture, probably the living room. It had an old, musty smell, and the sound of impeding rain drummed into his ears. It took a while for his eyes to adjust fully, but when they did, he felt his mind fill with relief when he saw Queen Lucille and Sir Leo.

They were alive.

He got up and saw that he was lying on a moth-eaten rug. His muscles still hurt, but he made his way over to Lucille. She looked like a mess. Her dress was torn and bloodied, and her fair skin was dirtied and stained with blood and riddled with scrapes and bruises. Her hair still looked wet, and Wendell had to assume that Leo had carried them in the rain to this house.

Wendell noticed that he was wet himself, but he was more concerned about these two.

Lucille didn't look like she was fatally injured, but, Wendell was working in the dark and not all fatal wounds are visible. His first priority was light. He rummaged around the small house and finally found a candle. He lit it and went searching for more candles. Once he had found enough to sustain enough light, he returned back to Lucille's side.

His mother taught him all he needed to know about medicinal magic, and how to work with the human body, so Wendell was more than prepared to start. He checked her vitals. From her unsteady heartbeat, he could tell she had some malfunctioning organs. He grimaced and searched all over for the wound and found it right where Itsuki had hit her with his vine.

It was a critical hit to her ribs, so she probably had broken bones in that area, and her lung was probably punctured. His hatred for those traitors grew every time Lucille drew in a ragged breath. He looked down at his pendant that Leo had given to him before they went through the portal. Leo had said that these powers would work the same as if Wendell were using on a daily basis back in the Celestial World. But what if the magic energy here - wherever that was - was dangerous? What if Lucille was injured even further? Wendell looked at Lucille's contorted face of pain, and decided he'd have to use it if she was to survive through this. Wendell took a deep breath and focused his power to his hands, and though of healing Lucille.

A soft white glow formed around his hands and it surrounded Lucy's wounds as well. Wendell watched with wide eyes as his power healed her wounds at an incredible rate. After just a few minutes of this, her breathing started to return back to normal, and her face turned into one of peacefulness.

Wendell's shoulders relaxed in relief, but he was still staring at his hands with awe. He had never been able to heal that people that fast or efficiently. Was it the pedant? Or the type of magic energy here? He had little time to think that before Leo came to his mind. Wendell quickly turned to see Leo lying on the ground sprawled out. Wendell hurriedly scurried over to him and started taking Leo's armor off. As he did he started to notice the wounds that Leo had received. Along with old scars, new gashes and cuts accompanied them on Leo's skin. Wendell looked at his multiple wounds with pity and anger.

All of that he went through... Those three traitors... The shadow beasts attacking the Capitol... And King Jude's death... It all happened, didn't it? Wendell cursed himself for not being there sooner for the royal family. Wendell's vision started to blur with angry tears, but he still continued to check Leo's vitals and wounds. That's when Wendell noticed that Leo's shallow breathing and Leo's unusually slow heartbeat that meant Leo was in a coma. Which meant that Leo had spent too much magic energy to bring them here.

Wendell looked back to Lucille. She was breathing alright, but still wet. But just seeing her brought more tears for Wendell. What had he done? The answer was nothing. He had done absolutely nothing while these two courageous souls were fighting off the enemy, while he was herding people towards their death outside in the Capitol, where thousands of shadow beasts were waiting. It had been his fault. And these two sacrificed everything they had to protect the ones they loved. Why couldn't he be like this? Why did Wendell have to be the person that doesn't do anything? Why couldn't he be more like a soldier? More like these two royals?

More like his brother, Natsu Fyre.

Wendell brought his hands over Leo's body, intent on healing him. But, when the soft glowing of his power reached Leo's wounds, they didn't heal. Wendell tried it again, and again, and again. But Leo's wounds wouldn't heal. Great. Now Wendell couldn't heal wounds. He threw his head back and let the tears slide off his face while he cursed the Celestial Gods.

"How could you?" He whispered to the rafters. "Why would you make me useless now?" He asked. But he already knew that answer right then. He was always useless. 

 

 

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The sun was high overhead when Lucille woke up. At that point, Wendell was already familiar with the house and where everything was, and how to maneuver closing his eyes. He found that if you went out in the forest far enough, he could find certain herbs that would heal Leo's un-heal-able wounds, and berries for food.

It had been two days. Two whole days since they had arrived in this new world. And finally, Lucille had woken with her stomach growling, and her curiosity spiking.

"Where am I?" She asked herself, sitting up slowly. As she did, her muscles ached and screamed in protest. She let a cry of pain escape her mouth, and grabbed her side. She found her side heavily bandaged and her curiosity spiked again. What the- ?

Then she remembered everything. Her eyes widened and felt scream a stuck in her throat. Tears blurred her vision an her hands went up to clutch her head. The memories flashed through her mind, with blood and death showing up the most. Then her memories focused on one point - _Her father's death_. The scream that was stuck let loose and tears started falling. Her chest ached and her head pounded, but she couldn't concentrate. All she knew was pain and loss. Pounding feet sounded coming from the other room, and Wendell burst in, a panicked expression on his face. He rushed over to Lucille's side and tried to console her, but she wouldn't listen to reason.

"Lucille! Please!" Wendell pleaded, sadness in his eyes, his eyebrows creased in conflict. Lucille just shook her head and continued to sob relentlessly. Wendell thought about leaving her to her self, but he noticed that some of her wounds started to reopen, which wasn't good. Wendell looked back up, a painful expression on his face as he watched her suffer. He bowed his head and clenched his teeth.

"Forgive me, your majesty." Wendell whispered, raising his hand and hitting Lucille on her pressure point, behind her head. Her cries were cut off and she slumped over in Wendell's expecting arms. He placed her back into the bed and tucked her in before leaving the room, a tear escaping from his own eye. "So much pain..." Wendell said softly as he went back to preparing a meal for himself and whoever woke up next.

As he was washing the berries, he couldn't help but think of all of the suffering she must've have gone through, being right there for her father's death. He stopped washing and let himself drown in his thoughts. He wondered what was happening at the palace, the kingdom more so. What was that hooded figure doing to the people? Was Wendell's family still alive? Were the other kingdoms alright?

Now that they were here, what did they do?

"What now?" Wendell asked to himself.

Later that day, Lucille woke up again, but this time, she was much more sober. She had a blank look in her eyes, but she wanted to help out with the house. Wendell would let her clean some of the berries, and they both would tend to Leo's injuries. After another two days, Lucille managed to brighten the look in her eyes, and she even smiled a little bit.

It was midday, and Lucy and Wendell were outside on the farmland, picking berries from the nearby bush. They both were enjoying the sun, the green grass tickling their toes as the picked the plump berries. It was then when they heard the loud crash coming from the house. Lucille and Wendell both jolted to attention and they both discarded the berries they picked as they ran as fast as they could to the room where Leo was sleeping. They rushed to the doorway to see Leo trying to stand from the place he had fell. He held his bandaged head with his steady palm, and was clenching his teeth in pain. He spared a look up when he heard the footsteps and his eyes widened in relief.

"You're... alright..." Leo said slowly, a relieved smile coming to his face. Lucille's eyes filled with joyful tears and she allowed a small smile for Leo. She ran forward and captured him in a gentle hug, burying her head in his bandaged chest. Leo embraced her back, a tear escaping his eye as well as when he knew she was alright. Wendell beamed and joined in the hug and buried his head deep within to relish in this one victory.

 

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Wendell had found new clothes for the three of them in a storage room that he discovered in the cellar. They were rag-tag clothes, and didn't really suit royals like them, but they found that they didn't care.That night, Wendell wanted to show Leo the amazing sight of this land's stars. Since the shack they were staying in was so far into the country, no lights polluted the night sky, so the millions of stars shone brightly.

The trio all marveled at the beauty of the sky. They were all laying on the grass, stargazing, when Lucille asked the question that had been hanging over the three of their heads. "What do we do now?" Her voice ringing in the silence. Leo continued to watch the stars but with a sad look in his eyes. As if he really didn't know. But since Wendell had so much time to think on this question he answered immediately.

"We train. We become more powerful. And then, we hope when we get back, that everything can go back to normal." Wendell said, still staring at the stars.

Lucille hummed softly and she looked down in her lap, her lips pursed as she let doubt creep in her mind. "But what if we can't win? What if we fail?" She spoke softly, her voice wavering with fear.

Wendell grimaced. "We hope that we will win." He said hollowly, turning to look at Lucille with fiery, determined eyes. "Or die trying."

 


	5. Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who is fully prepared to die at anytime." }

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All three of them were willing to give their lives if they could save their kingdom. Lucille was the Queen - she was obligated to risk her life for her kingdom. Leo was a knight - it was his duty to follow through with anything the queen did. Wendell was a Prince - his job was to forfeit his life as well to protect his kingdom and it's Queen. They were all willing to fulfill their duty's. So, the next morning, Leo prepared them to train with the items they had been given before they had crossed over to this world. Wendell's heart shaped brooch and Lucille's short staff.

Leo looked to Wendell first. "Have you already used your power for anything besides healing?" He asked, watching Wendell carefully. Wendell shook his head and looked down at the brooch. "But it seems as though the magic energy here is boosting in power, unlike ours, which is just unlimited." Wendell said, staring at his hands.

Leo nodded. "Yes. That's why I took me so long to wake. If I had been back at home when I lost my magic energy, I would've recovered the next day." Leo said, flexing his hand. "As why I feel so powerful after only four days of recharging too."

Lucille smiled sheepishly. "My powers still feel funny... but then again, they always have." She commented, avoiding Wendell's quizzical look. Leo gazed at her thoughtfully, while Wendell furrowed his brows. It seemed that Leo and Lucille only shared that secret in this moment. The knight returned his attention back to the blunette. "Go on, try to summon your dragons' power." Leo suggested, watching Wendell closely. Wendell nodded and put his hands out in front of him and concentrated. He stood their for a while, gathering concentration and magical energy. White-blue energy light appeared from his hand as he opened his eyes.

"Dragon's secret art: Air enhancer!" Wendell called out, his arms covered in his magic energy. Wendell then demonstrated and his arms seemed to cut through the air, with seemingly increased power and speed. Lucille watched with amazement while Leo nodded.

"Wendell, your training will involve trying to hone your powers and get accustomed to the magic energy." Leo said, noticing how Wendell looked fairly tired. "Your regime for the next few will probably be making sure you don't use your power all at once." Wendell nodded to everything Leo said, rubbing a thumb over his pendant as he did. Leo then turned to Lucille and looked at her scepter with a hopeful glance.

"You remember how I said that scepter could summon us celestial guard?" Leo prompted, looking into Lucille's eyes. Her eyes widened and she took the scepter in both of her hands. "How?" Lucille asked excitedly, looking back up into Leo's eyes hopefully. Leo smiled and stood beside her to instruct her. "Alright. First, you have to bring the scepter's true form. So channel your powers into the scepter." Leo said.

Lucille did, and focused all of her powers into the scepter. It became quiet in the house, as both Leo and Wendell watched intensely. After a few minutes when Lucille felt a slight hum come from the scepter and she opened her eyes in surprise. The scepter started to grow in her hands until it was the same height as her, and the round top of the scepter opened up to reveal a ring with thirteen jangling keys hanging off of it. Lucille marveled at all of them, noticing that all of the keys had the symbols of her Celestial Guard's emblems. Aquarius, Scorpio, Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius, Leo, Virgo, Pisces, and Libra. There was one key that was blank but before she could really question why it was there, her eyes caught the symbols of two other keys.

Capricorn and Taurus...

Happy tears brimmed her eyes as she looked at the two keys that held her two friends that lost their lives in the battle that had commenced in the Celestial World.

She then turned to Leo. "Do I summon them like normal keys?" She asked the knight. Leo shrugged. "The king said you would know what to do after it got activated." He said, staring at the scepter expectantly. Lucille fingered the key of General Taurus and whispered gently to it. "I open thy gate, Taurus the Bold." She said, deep caring in her voice. The key shone brightly, and Lucy gasped in amazement as a bulky figure appeared before her, smiling at her broadly. His disheveled, familiar hair was still un-tamable, his large brown eyes shining with unconditional pride, and his brawny form standing tall and lean.

"You summoned me, Lucille?" Taurus's deep voice asked. The Queen placed a hand over her mouth, and tears spilled from her eyes. "Taurus? I-Is that r-really you?" Lucille choked out, her other hand going to her chest. Taurus saw her tears and immediately came to her side, placing a broad hand on her shoulder, his eyebrows creased in worry. "Princess, is everything alright?" His deep, concerned tone contradicting his huge form.

Lucille smiled, tears still flowing. "I am now that you're here." She said gently, engulfing him in a hug. Taurus turned to Leo, his eyes wide with confusion. Leo grimaced. "Plan Omega is in action. And... you didn't make it." Leo said firmly, but quietly. Taurus's face broke in realization, and his arms wrapped around Lucille's small figure. "I am sorry that I left you, Princess Lucille." Taurus said, smiling sadly.

Lucille's sobs filled the room. Wendell was staring at the two with sadness in his eyes, and he looked down the ground shortly afterwards. Leo stared at his dear friend with comfort, his eyes glossed over with unshed tears. Taurus then broke off from the hug and looked Lucille in the eyes. "Lucille." He started, kneeling down before her. "I am here at your beckon call. But now, I see that I am stealing more magic energy than you have. I suggest that if you want to see anyone else, you say goodbye to me. For now." Taurus said, wiping the tears from Lucille's face.

Lucille sniffed and nodded, taking Taurus's hand. "Your service is deeply appreciated, and I will always treasure our friendship." She whispered. Taurus grinned, and bowed his head. "Thank you, Lucille." He said, as Lucille swished her hand and dismissed his presence. He dissolved into many different golden, sparkling particles. Lucille was saddened by his disappearance, but grabbed Capricorn's key, and summoned him next.

"I summon thy presence, Capricorn the Dutiful." Lucille called out, expectancy on her face. The key shone again, and Lucille beamed as she saw the lean forgive of her friend slowly appear. His white hair was spiked up in front, and his dark shades covering his dark, wise eyes, his lean and muscular form hidden behind his pristine tuxedo that he always seemed to wear. He was one of the most powerful of the Celestial Guard, so it seemed impossible he was dead. But she had seen him die. Saw him murdered. And right then she swore she would get vengeance on the traitor Aleena for killing him.

Capricorn looked at her curiously, while she thought of Aleena. His eyebrows creased with confusion when her eyes radiated malice. Capricorn came forward to his Princess and knelt down in front of her to see her eye level. He then placed his one of his hands on her shoulder and the other went to pet her head.

"Lucille, did you get in another fight with your father?" Capricorn asked, completely ignorant of anything other than his princess. Lucille looked up in shock and the room went silent. Leo's face became contorted with conflict and Wendell had to turn his head so he wouldn't be seen. Lucille's entire heart shattered as she tried to think of a way to tell Capricorn that her father was dead. But she wasn't brave enough.

She nodded her head slowly and hated herself for lying every nod. But Capricorn bought it, and smiled gently. "Do not worry child. Jude will come to his senses someday. And I will be right here with you, waiting for that." Capricorn said, patting her head. Lucille's eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head, already knowing that her father had accepted her, and that they had stopped fighting a long time ago. But she was too weak to break this already going facade. So she just kept on keeping on.

"As your guardian, I promise to protect you with my life." Capricorn said, bowing.

Lucille hugged him and said goodbye as he dispersed back to his key. Lucille then collapse to her knees and held herself, sobbing softly. Leo came next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "When we transferred our life sources into those keys, there was no guarantee that we would have our full memories of events that happened. It is very possible the others already know they are just keys and not real. And it's possible that they all think they are the real Celestial Guard, and don't recall anything about transferring." Leo explained, consoling not only Lucille, but himself as well.

Lucille became silent and wiped her tears, and tiredly looked at the two that were in the room. "I have to train to be able to summon them whenever and however long I want." Lucille declared determinedly.

Wendell came over to her and started to restore her magic energy and strength. "And I will train to get used to this new power." Wendell added with the same resolution.

Leo inclined his head and stood, folding his arms. "Then first thing in the morning, we're going to train nonstop." Leo vowed. "I will not let you rest until we're ready." Lucille and Wendell nodded obediently, steeling themselves for a hardworking day.

 

 

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Leo woke them up at the crack of dawn, and they all earnestly went outside to the dew covered grass to start their training. They started with stretches and running around the large fields of the countryside. Once the knight believed the two royals were prepared for training, he turned to Lucille first. His fangs were bared in a smug smirk as he placed his hands on his hips.

”You remember my first class with you? The one I called, Golden Balls of Perseverance?” Lucille’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the memory, her lips pulling up in a grimace. 

 "The longer you can hold the ball of magic, the more your stamina will advance." Leo mocked, summoning a golden orb of magic right in front of Lucille’s face. 

Lucille scoffed, bringing her hand up. “I can make a stupid orb.” The Queen, though frustrated, focused her magic energy into her hands, and she produced a golden ball of magic energy. She bit her lip, and tried to keep it going. It lasted five minutes before it faded away.

Confused, she tried again, but it didn’t last as long as last time. She huffed and slumped her shoulders. Leo chuckled, folding his arms as he watched the Queen struggle.

"This magic energy is harder to concentrate." Lucille admitted stubbornly, sighing again, and wiping her brow. "It will be hard, but you have to keep at it." Leo ordered, standing and walking over to Wendell. Lucille concentrated harder and conjured the ball again, back to the drawing board.

When Leo reached Wendell, he got into a preparatory stance and summon his golden lance. Wendell stepped back in confusion and held his hands up in defense. "H-hold on! What're you doing!" Wendell faltered, watching as Leo wielded his lance. "What better way to hone your combat abilities than in combat?" Leo reasoned, charging Wendell. Wendell's eyes widened and narrowly dodged Leo's first attack.

"But Leo! You still need to heal!" Wendell protested, as he dodged another attack from Leo. Leo raised his eyebrow and spun his lance around. "The only way I'll be injured is if you land a hit on me. Which won't be possible if you keep dodging." Leo taunted, charging Wendell again. Wendell pursed his lips and dodged again, while thinking. He should probably just attack. But if he did, he'd probably hurt Leo... Wait. Wendell looked at Leo who was watching expectantly.

Maybe this lesson was to help Wendell control his powers. Wendell rubbed his chin dubiously as he thought of a way he could control his attacks while in combat. If he could control it, he could hit Leo without hurting him, but hard enough to at least knock him off of his feet. But there was a flaw in that. If Wendell was too soft, Leo would have an opening, and Wendell would turn out to be the one being injured. But if Wendell was too hard, Leo could get even more injured, and that wouldn't be good for the team. Wendell closed his eyes, and his eyebrows went down in deep concentration. This was going to be hard. While Wendell was thinking, Leo got impatient with waiting, and ran towards Wendell, charging Wendell again.

Wendell opened his eyes, his decision made, and his aura surrounded his, the wind acting more ferocious whipping his clothes around. Leo's face hardened with resolve, and he charged regardless. Wendell held out both his hands by his side and channeled his power to his hands.

"Wind Dragon's riddle: Misdirect." Wendell chanted, his brown eyes glowing with determination. Leo made it to Wendell as soon as he chanted his spell, and before the blade touched him, Wendell disappeared. Leo's eyes widened as his blade went straight through air, and he stumbled, regaining his footing soon after. Leo then turned to see that Wendell had somehow teleported himself behind Leo, so he could prepare for his second attack. Wendell's cheeks were puffed up and he stood firm in the ground. "Wind Dragon's," Wendell said, sucking in air. Leo cursed as he tried to get out of the way, but he already knew that he was in the line of fire.

"Roar!" Wendell yelled, as he let out his magic spell, in a tornado. But as soon as Wendell let it out, Leo knew it wouldn't hit him. Leo quickly ducked, and the power went overhead of him, causing Leo's clothes to flutter around his body. Leo then wasted no time in coming back up, and pinning down a stunned Wendell.

"I could've killed you..." Wendell whispered, staring in horror into space. Leo smirked as he held Wendell down. "You could've tried Wendell, but it's harder than you think." Leo then got off of Wendell and held out his hand.

Wendell's eyebrows creased. "I didn't think it would be that powerful. It was obviously overshot." Wendell mused, taking Leo's hand, and getting up.

Leo shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to work harder to get control." Leo looked around and spotted the forest, an idea forming in his head. "See those trees, Wendell?" Leo said, pouting at the thick, tall pine trees.

Wendell nodded. "Yeah..."

Leo smirked and placed his hands on his hips. "If you can get all the branches off of that tree without damaging the bark, you will have mastered control. And you have to do it in one hit." Leo challenged, looking down at Wendell. Wendell nodded and started to walk to the trees, before Leo remembered something. Leo stopped Wendell by a hand on his shoulder, and Leo had his eyebrows creased curiously. "What was that move you preformed? Wind Dragon's riddle: Misdirect? Was it teleportation?" Leo asked quizzically.

Wendell shook his head. "It's deception magic!" Wendell divulged, moving a finger to his mouth. "It's a secret." He quipped, walking away. Leo raised his eyebrow, but shrugged, and turned to see an appalled looking Lucille, who self-consciously held her magic energy ball in her hands while staring in space with shock written all over her face.

"What... power..." Lucille breathed, gaping after Wendell who nonchalantly walked over to the trees and tested his power, before concentrating his attention to destroying the branches on the tree. Leo smiled proudly, and walked over to the Queen to give her a hard clap on the back. "Good job your highness! Looks like your training is paying off!" Leo exclaimed, looking Lucille in the eyes.

Lucille blinked, before her eyes softened observing the ball. “That lesson...” Leo also became more solemn, watching as Lucille reminisced. “It was my first magic lesson.” Wendell, who had taken a break from his magic lesson, walked in on the depressed atmosphere. He took a glance at Leo, before watching Lucille carefully.

A tear fell from Lucille’s eyes, memories flowing through her mind as she watched the orb. 

“How about we take a break?” Leo placed a hand once Lucille’s shoulder, disrupting her reverie. “We need to practice your sparring, just like old times." Lucille stared after Leo with a small smile, and pushed herself up. "I could use it, yeah." Lucille sniffed, following Leo out into the field.

 

 

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Wendell had insisted the training be done for the day when Leo reopened his wounds in the fifth spar with Lucille. The sun had started to set at that point, and Lucille could feel how sore she was after dinner. Her muscles were stiff and weary, and even after Wendell had tried to relieve her pain, she felt like crawling into bed and not ever getting back up. She said goodnight to the two boys and headed for her room, where she closed the door and changed into her pajamas. She then slipped into her bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

And like the past few days, the nightmares came. Blood, swords, and cloaked demons haunted her sleep, and she found herself terrified. Of herself, of the demons, of even living. She was scarred for the rest of her life. That night... had been a turning point. For everyone.

And the nightmare always ended with her father's dead eyes, glaring at her with unforgiving coldness.

She jolted awake, a cold sweat dripping down her face. She grabbed the sheets closer to her, and cowered in her small room. She wanted to call out for Leo, or Wendell, but she didn't want to wake them. So instead, she decided to cool off with a stroll in the woods. She grabbed the blanket from the bed and headed towards the door, when she remembered that Leo was sleeping on the couch. Not wanting to wake him, she snuck out the small window she had, and crept off into the woods. It was slightly overcast, so Lucy's path would sometimes darken, but she had gone to the woods so many times that it became habit to travel to the blackberry bushes where you could just barely see the end of the foliage.

She pushed past the trees and other bushes, as she made her way to the berries. The moon shone bright at this time, so she could easily spot the big, juicy berries that grew on the small bush. She sat down on the ground next to the bush, and started plucking the berries and popping them in her mouth. She sat there for a while, letting the cool breeze calm her, and the sweet juicy berries causing a small smile to form on her face. She would sway once and a while with the leaves, and she calmed down dramatically. She felt drowsy, and decided just to rest her eyes for a while. Just one little nap.

And she soon found herself slipping away to a dreamless sleep. 

 

 

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When Lucille woke, she jolted up, her first thought being that this was _not_ her room. But then she remembered that she came out here of her own will. She looked up to see the moon in a different place, but still in the sky. She had probably slept for a good three hours. Lucille yawned and stretched long and good before she heard the footsteps. They weren't ominous, but they definitely freaked Lucy out. There was more than one set, one seeming lighter, the other heavier. She also heard the hushed voices that they spoke in.

"Ain't we already supposed to be there? This is taking too fuckin' long." A voice roughly whispered. Another voice hastily replied, only gentler. "Just calm down! This map says we're going in the right direction! That farmer said he saw a portal in this direction! It shouldn't be that hard to apprehend the ones behind it." The smaller voice said.

Lucille's eyes widened and she covered her mouth as she heard them come closer. She turned in their direction, to see the glow of a lantern getting brighter. Portal? Apprehend? Lucille put the pieces together and a dry sob quietly made its way out of her mouth. They were coming to get _her_. She didn't know how to escape. The two had stopped to camp nearby, so they had her trapped. She looked over the bush, and she could see the bright blue hair of one of the duo.

Lucille racked her brain for a good way out, but she came out empty. She had left her keys at the house, and she couldn't get up without giving away her position. Lucy bit her lip and clutched her head. "C'mon Lucille! Think!" She whispered to herself.

While she was thinking hard, a ball of magic energy appeared in front of her subconsciously. She blinked at the brightness, and gasped as she quickly tried to put it out before the duo could find out. As she tried to put it out, she had an idea. As she pursed her lips she looked at the ball.

Time to put her training to the test.

 

 

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Levy didn't know that someone's whining could be so annoying. Especially that of a Dragon Slayer's. They had been traveling for a week now, which was totally unplanned, based on a crappy map that the farmer had left them. Levi was just frustrated just trying to read the map, and then you add on a complacent idiot. There was no way she couldn't go crazy.

But she tried not to take it out on anyone. Patherlily didn't deserve her outbursts, just Gajeel. Therefore, she couldn't burst just now. Right now they were camping in a strange forest, and Levy was thinking about the reason they came out on this mission.

"Apparently, someone just came in with a report about a portal opening. On top of the crazy powerful magic readings from the magic council." Makarov explained to Levy, holding up the job. Levy's eyebrows went downward in confusion. "A portal?" She asked curiously. Makarov nodded. "Yes. An Anima." He said gravely. Everyone close by turned at that word, very interested in the word, particularly Erza.

Levy's eyes widened and her hands started fidgeting nervously. "You mean, someone from Edolas is here?" Levy asked, looking Makarov in the eyes.

Makarov shook his head. "That's impossible. Edolas has no more magic to create a portal." Makarov explained. Levy raised her eyebrow. "Then, who came through the portal?" She wondered aloud. Makarov was silent, and closed his eyes, thinking. "Hopefully, nothing dangerous." He concluded.

He then looked Levy in the eyes. "But knowing our luck, trouble is all we'll get." He mused, pursing his lips. Levy placed a finger on her chin and thought hard. "So, my mission is to find out who came through the portal?" Levy asked, thinking of a way to apprehend the refugee. "Yes, that is your job." Makarov said. "But I would advise taking a skilled combat wizard to go with you. We have no idea who or what came out of that portal. For your safety, I'd take at least a party of three." Makarov advised, standing.

"I suggest you find one before sunset. Traveling during the nighttime will give you a better chance to find the target. It will probably be asleep by then." Makarov added, hopping down from the counter and walking towards his office. Levy sat there, still pondering about this strange mishap. _Who would come to Earthland? Or what? How did they conjure an Anima? Were they powerful enough to do it themselves? If so, what chance did she stand against them? Why would Makarov entrust this mission to her?_

"Hey shrimp." A rough voice called.

Levy looked up to see Gajeel towering over her, and although he looked very intimidating, she had grown used to him standing over her. She raised her eyebrow when he looked at her expectantly. "I'm going with ya on this mission, so don't bother asking anyone else." He stated gruffly, before turning on his heel and walking away. Levy blinked and turned to watch him as he walked away. Lily walked up to her with a smirk on his face.

"I hope you don't mind. He was worried about you." Lily mused, watching as Gajeel ate his metal, ignorant to everything around.

Levy looked at him dubiously before crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks. "More like he just wants some action!" She grumbled, sending an accusing glance at Gajeel. He didn't notice. Patherlily shook his head and sighed. "Believe what you want. He's just trying to show his concern, even if it's horrible on his part." Lily said, leaving their conversation. Levy bit her lip and fiddled with the edge of her skirt. She still wondered what or who her target really is, but Gajeel accompanying her jumbled her train of thought and she got flustered.

 _I wonder how this'll end up_. She thoughtfully pondered, staring at Gajeel.

And that brought them back to the present. Night came upon the duo, so they camped in a small clearing. Levy started a small fire and set out the sleeping bags. Gajeel nonchalantly watched her do it, completely unaware how rude it came across as. Lily finally gave him a scolding and he helped start up some food.

They ate their food silently, and once they were done, silence ensued between them, the only sound being the bugs of the forest. Levy shifted uncomfortably tugging at her skirt. "So, uh, Gajeel," Levy said meekly, looking out in the forest and not Gajeel. Gajeel grunted in response. Levy bit her lip and rubbed her arms.

"What do you think came through that portal?" Levy asked nervously. She was anxious because she was truly curious about what had come through the that portal. The other reason was because she was talking to Gajeel. Gajeel shrugged and puffed out in boredom. "How the fuck am I supposed to know?" He said gruffly, not looking Levy in the eyes.

Patherlily sent a disapproving glare towards Gajeel, and rolled his eyes when Gajeel responded with a grunt and looked away from Patherlily. Levy puffed her cheeks out and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not asking you to know for sure! Geez, if you could at least have an imagination about it - ."

She stopped mid-sentence when she spotted a golden orb flying in the direction where she and Gajeel had just come from. She gasped and stood. "Gajeel! Look!" Levy whisper shouted, pointing at the orb. Gajeel stood abruptly and glared at the orb. It wasn't that far away from the camp, so he decided to go out to observe it better. Levy whimpered slightly when Gajeel's form slowly faded away. Patherlily touched Levy's leg to comfort her, and Levy sent him a gracious smile.

Lily changed into his bigger form and grabbed his Musica Sword, before heading off after Gajeel. Levy slightly panicked when they left her alone, so she decided to scamper after them. She pushed past branches and jumped over shrubbery, and looked back to their camp to still see the glowing fire still burning. Good, they hadn't strayed too far. Levy relaxed and turned back to Gajeel, when they all heard a branch snapped. The trio turned to the sound, and saw a figure standing next to their campfire, a blanket over their head, and they stood frozen, looking in their direction.

"There it is!" Gajeel exclaimed, pushing past Levy and Lily and dashing after the target. The Golden Orb suddenly changed direction as zipped straight for Levy's head. "Levy watch out!" Pantherlily shouted, swinging his sword and batting the ball away. Gajeel and Levy watched as the orb hit a nearby tree and burnt a large hole in the trunk. Levy's mouth dropped. _That_ almost hit her? Levy stared in disbelief as they disappeared into the forest, pushing past the foliage with ease, an angry Gajeel hot in pursuit. Levy gasped and dashed after Gajeel worriedly. "Gajeel! Don't leave me!" Levy exclaimed, dodging foliage and prickly bushes. She was having difficulty keeping up with the two ensnared in their chase, and was slowly discouraged.

"Ga... jeel..." Levy panted out, leaning against a tree.

All of a sudden two arms, or rather two paws, grabbed her under her arms and brought her up above the trees. Levy looked up and saw Patherlily carrying her towards the direction of Gajeel. Levy smiled. "Thanks Lily!" Levy exclaimed tiredly. Lily smirked and soared expertly towards the ruckus Gajeel was making.

They didn't fly for too long before the foliage became noticeably thinner, and a clearing could be seen from the sky. Levy peeked over the trees to see the chase was still ensuing, and yet the girl still had plenty of energy to rush towards a barren shack and slam the door. Gajeel ran up to the door and proceeded to kick the door open. When he did however, his face came into contact with a strong hand, that sent Gajeel flying. Levy was set down by Gajeel by Pantherlily and she checked Gajeel. "Are you okay?" Levy asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm fine!" Gajeel insisted, pushing her off. Levy was slightly hurt, but became more preoccupied when she turned back to the door to see two figures standing there. The one with the blanket who Gajeel had chased all the way, here stood beside someone who was a lot taller than she, and was wearing nothing but pajama pants.

"Your majesty, please stay behind me." The taller one said, stepping out of the house. "Your majesty...?" Levy whispered to herself, turning when Gajeel stood and smirked at the tall person.

"We came to collect you!" Gajeel yelled, smirking and holding his hands out. "But I guess from that stance your not going to surrender, yeah?" Gajeel sneered, barring his fangs. The tall figure planted his feet firmly on the ground and held his fists up. "Never in my life have I surrendered and I'm not about to start now." The tall man stated, staring at Gajeel coldly.

Gajeel grinned sadistically. "I wouldn't have it any other way!" Gajeel prepared his stance as well, both of them staring each other down. Levy watched frightfully, stepping back slightly. Patherlily joined in backing away, staying close to Levy. "Stay by me Levy. There could be another - ." Lily warned, before a thud sounded behind them. Lily and Levy spun around, Lily raising his sword and Levy raising her fingers, a spell forming on her lips. They turned to meet a smaller form standing before them. The smaller figure frowned at them and raised his hands.

"We are ready to fight you. Don't think you'll get away." The small figure said, white magic forming around his hands. "We are prepared to die for our Queen!" The tall and small figure said in unison. Gajeel, Levy, and Lily all shared a look. Levy looked at her opponent. "That's not how _we_ work...." She muttered to herself.

"Lily! Levy! Can you handle the smaller one?" Gajeel asked, not looking at the two. Lily gazed back at Gajeel with surprise, but Levy answered immediately. "We're Fairy Tail wizards. Of course we can." Levy quipped proudly, chanting a spell. "Iron!" She called out. Gajeel smirked at her spirit before looking up to catch the iron that fell from the sky. "Eat up before you fight." Levy insisted, keeping her gaze on her opponent. "Good luck." Levy whispered. Gajeel ate the iron with satisfaction before wiping his mouth and grinning at his enemy.

"Let's do this."

 


	6. Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "Faith in people you trust is a value. A treasured value that can determine how your relationship with those people will go." }

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The two operatives were good. The one fighting Leo could easily dodge all of his attacks, and countered with hits just as skillful. Lucille could determine from the moves and magic he used, that he could use metal, or iron rather, and extend his arm length and make his skin impervious to blades. He seemed like a monster - his brutal and brash ways of fighting relentlessly coming, accompanied that sadistic smirk... Lucille's gaze wandered over to Wendell and his opponents.

Yes, more than one. Wendell was fending off a small girl who used Script magic to summon appropriate elements to keep Wendell occupied. Beside the small mage was a large cat-person who wielded a sword that could change its length and width. All three were very well trained wizards, and Lucille was getting worried as well as frustrated. She should be involved in the fighting as well. But she would have to fight magic with magic. And she didn't have that great of endurance. She still needed to improve. 

But her resolve told her that if she didn't help now, these two opponents of theirs would surely overpower them. She could still be useful in fighting someone with defensive magic rather than offensive... So the female wizard using the script magic should be an easy opponent for Lucille. Lucy dashed into the house quickly, grabbing the scepter she had left on the table, before running back outside where the battles were still commencing. Lucille shed the blanket and ran towards the small female, tensing her fists to get ready to fend off the small wizard. Apparently her actions were a surprise to both Lucille's companions and their assailants. Leo and his opponent were distracted as Lucille dashed towards the small girl with her keys ready.

Leo's eyes widened slightly, before narrowing again when they made contact with Lucille's, and nodding his head at her before turning his attention to his opponent who was still facing toward the small female. "Shrimp! Watch your back!" The man fighting Leo called out, before looking back Leo and starting their fight again. Lucille cursed mentally as her surprise was ruined when the small girl turned to counter Lucille's attack. Lucille, however, continued and raised her scepter. "I call upon thy service, mighty Virgo!" Lucille called loudly, brandishing her scepter.

One of the keys glowed, and Virgo's running form appeared next to Lucille. "You called me, Princess." Virgo said in her unemotional voice. The Queen almost sobbed seeing yet another familiar face, but instead she focused on engaging battle with the small girl. "Virgo! Unsettle the ground underneath her!" Lucille commanded before springing back to watch as her companion activated her earth powers."Whoa!" The small girl shrieked, waving her arms around. "Solid Script: Vines!" She chanted, slashing her fingers in front of her. Vines broke her fall, and she sprung back up quickly, and facing Lucille with shock written in her brown eyes.

"You use Celestial magic?!" The small female asked truly confused.

The moon shone bright then, and Lucille could see the small female's features, and the latter see hers. Both of their eyes widened and they took a step towards each other.

"Levy?" Lucille whispered, appalled.

"Lucy!" Levy exclaimed, pure confusion written in her eyes.

Lucille's brows creased at the nickname, confusion riddling her thoughts. Lucille racked her brain earnestly, searching for an answer. How could this be possible? The only people to come through the portal were herself, Wendell, and Leo! Did they only got to a different part of the Celestial World? No they were definitely on a separate world. The magic energy was different, and Lucille could just feel it. So why was Levy standing right in front of her?

"Um, Lucy? What're you doing here?" Levy asked, obviously having no intention of continuing the fight. Lucille pursed her lips and folded her arms, staring at Levy suspiciously. "I was about to ask you the same question Levy.... If you are Levy." Lucille accused, her eyes narrowing. Levy's eyes widened and her pointed at herself frantically. "What do you mean?! I am Levy! Your friend!" She said, looking deep into Lucille's skeptical eyes.

Lucille bit her lip, and hesitantly allowed herself to become less guarded. "Who sent you then? To find me, that is." Lucille asked, shifting when Levy raised her eyebrow.

"What'd you mean, Lucy? You were there when I got the mission from Master Makarov...." Levy said, cautiously. Lucille's blood boiled at that name. It reminded of her world, the one she came from. The horrible memories of dark prison cells, sleepless scream-filled nights, and the infamous leader of the Fairy Tail cult. Makarov Igor, the dark cult leader. Lucille remembered every horrifying second under his imprisonment.

Lucille's eyes widened with anger, her magic energy starting to swirl around her angrily. "You're working for him? You couldn't be _my_ Levy then! She would never do this to me!" Lucille yelled, her confusion gone. "I summon thy presence, Capricorn the Dutiful!" Lucy chanted, making Virgo team up with Capricorn.

Levy's heartbeat quickened and she stared at Lucille with disbelief. But Lucille was only concerned about the fact that Makarov had sent someone after. "Makarov probably wants a bargaining chip, right?" Lucille raged. "To be in the good graces of whoever the hell took over my kingdom, right? Or are you another one of his demons trying to lure me in with false hope?" Lucille took in a deep breath, her chest hurting the longer she looked at Levy. The Solid Script Mage couldn't look more confused and conflicted by the tormented tone Lucille was using. "Who are you? Do you find it funny posing as my friend!?" Lucille cringed at her own words, but looked at Capricorn. "It's not the real Levy. So don't be afraid to attack her." Lucille said coldly.

Capricorn's eyebrows creased in worry, but hence the dutiful in his title, Capricorn listened to his summoner and went to attack Levy, who was staring in shock. "She can't be our Lucy...." Levy murmured as she dodged Capricorn's attack narrowly. Levy hissed in annoyance as she tried to solve her confusion. Levy glanced at Lucille. "Who is she...!?" Levy cursed under breath, before dodging another attack. "She looks exactly like her, and has the same powers as Lucy, and yet she's not Lucy! What is going on here?!" Levy grit her teeth in frustration

 

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Gajeel became worried after that girl went up to attack Levy. Yeah, he had warned Levy and told her to be safe, but now that she knows that the girl isn't Lucy, Levy would probably try to figure it out.

How did Gajeel know it wasn't Lucy? Because of her smell. Their Lucy always had that weird flowery-honey smell that the salamander couldn't get enough of. But not this chick. This woman smelt more tangy with a hint of citrus. She smelt... regal. And this Lucy's container for her holder magic was also different that Lucy's original magic type.

Along with the fact that this Lucy seemed to summon spirits effortlessly. Plus there were just the little things that Gajeel noticed. The way she talks, or the fact she surrounded herself with a little twerp and someone who looked a lot like that womanizer, Loke. Besides, he figured that this Lucy was the one that came through the portal, so it was going to be just as confusing as Edolas.

Gajeel growled as he dodged another attack from his opponent, who also didn't seem like any effort was put in his moves. Gajeel had to admit, although inside his head, that this man's moves were really good. Gajeel could tell that this man trained relentlessly to perfect his fighting techniques.

"Man... you got some moves, I'll give ya that..." Gajeel growled, wiping his mouth, before brandishing his fists again. The man just stared at him determinedly. That made Gajeel more mad, making him growl in pure anger. _This man is an equal of mine... And I hate that!_ Gajeel thought virulently.

The man moved like lightning, and struck Gajeel's face. Gajeel quickly summoned his iron skin, and growled in frustration as he felt his magic energy depleting. If he kept going on like this....Gajeel clenched his teeth and backed away before planting his feet firmly in the ground. He summoned his iron skin and placed his two hands on his mouth. "Roar of the... IRON DRAGON!!!" Gajeel yelled, sending his magic spell towards him. It managed to send the orange haired enemy flying for a few seconds, and that's all the time Gajeel needed.

"Lily! We're leaving!" Gajeel roared, barreling towards Lily's opponent. The small blunette was shocked when Gajeel rammed into him, and that gave Gajeel the advantage when he rammed into the boy. Lily acted immediately, summoning his wings and flying straight for Levy, snatching her up as she dodged an attack from Lucy. Levy gasped in surprise along with the alternate dimension Lucy.

"No! I can't let you escape!" Lucille cried out, summoning another celestial spirit. But Lily was already soaring at an incredible speed, leaving Lucille in the dust. Lucille attempted to follow, when Gajeel got in her way and struck her down, causing her to cry out in shock. Gajeel faced the trio that recovered determinedly.

"You're not going anywhere." Gajeel said, smirking. The orange haired man scowled. "You could've escaped with your cowardly friends. And yet you stayed." The man said, his eyes narrowing.

Gajeel's smirk disappeared. "I ain't letting anyone touch those two." He said darkly. His giant sadistic grin then reappeared and his brandished his iron covered hands. "Besides, I'd feel awful bad leaving you before I beat the crap outta ya!" He yelled excitedly. The trio all looked at Gajeel with distaste before they all collided in a fierce fight.

 

 

 

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"No! You've got to take me back!" Levy shrieked, pounding on Lily's strong hands. Lily grimaced and squeezed Levy comfortingly. "I can't. Gajeel stayed behind so we could get away. Don't make him angry at you for wasting this opportunity." Lily said, his deep voice shaking slightly. Hot, bubbly tears fell down her face as looked behind her. Gajeel's determined yells had died down once they had gotten far enough away, so she kept wondering if he was still alive.

"Don't worry. Gajeel won't die. He can't." Lily consoled her, as well as himself. Levy sniffed and wiped her tears from her face with the back of her hands. She then grabbed onto Lily's hand and rubbed her cheek against it. "You're right. Of course you're right. There's no way Gajeel would die...." Levy said, closing her eyes. Lily smiled knowingly as he held Levy closer, bracing himself for the long flight back home, where it was safe for both him and Levy, and the place they would wait for Gajeel to come back to. To Fairy Tail.

 


	7. Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> {"There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother."}

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The Celestial Kingdom was in ruins.

On the night that the hooded figure attacked with his Shadow Beasts, he had killed King Jude, and two of the Celestial Guard. The rest of said guard was captured, condemned to the dungeons far below the castle. Of the citizens that survived that night, they were all gathered as well, and forced to slave away for rebuilding purposes.

The Dark Wizard had appointed himself as King by this time, shutting off the Kingdom from the rest. What his plans are, nobody knows for sure. But his own elite guard were always close by ready for any request of their King.

"Your majesty?"

The steel wizard, Aleena, a high ranked member of the elite guard Tartaros, stood in the doorway of the King’s study. There, sitting in the chair of the king, the Dark Wizard was looking over blueprints of the Castles layout. Without his hood up, the wizard's features were easy to identify. His long black hair was pulled back by a decorative hair tie that matched his black and gold robes. His dark red eyes were slanted, and his dark skin contrasted with his gold robes. Whenever the man opened his mouth a pair of fangs were visible, and the features of the man were sharp as a beasts’.

The wizard put his scroll down and raised his eyebrow expectantly. "Yes?" He asked lowly. "Can't you see I'm busy?" His voice was calm, but his eyes burned bright.

Aleena gulped and got down on her knee quickly, before raising her head to look him in the eye. "W-we've conquered yet another land sir. Crocus is ours now, and the noble family Cheney were finally subdued." She reported shakily.

The King slammed papers down on the desk, narrowing his eyes. "Only? You do realize there are five more kingdoms to conquer, and thousands of more people to keep at bay? The Cheney family is the last of our concerns." The black wizard virulently stated, his tightening grip causing the paper to crinkle. Aleena visibly flinched, and quickly bowed her head lower.

"I-I beg your forgiveness, your majesty." She whimpered.

The dark wizard scrunched his nose up in distaste, and he stood from his table. He walked over to Aleena, who winced at every step coming closer to her.

"Next time you want to bother me, make sure it's something worth while." The dark wizard hissed, stopping in front of Aleena. Aleena nodded vigorously, swallowing nervously.

"Y-Yes of course, your majesty." She said.

The dark wizard gazed back down at the blueprints, pondering. "What about the portal? Any news on that?" The wizard asked, taking a pencil to the blueprints and writing hasty notes.

Aleena's eyes widened and she bit her lip as a cold sweat broke on her brow. "About that, your majesty..." Aleena swallowed, clenching her fist. The wizard’s eyes lazily slid over to watch her as she started shaking. "Uh, t-the magicians that were recruited started a revolt, and their revolt caused d-damage to the circle." Aleena said, getting quieter as she came to the end of her sentence.

Silence.

Aleena sat there, waiting for him to scold her. But it never came. So she looked up hesitantly to see his dark red eyes filled with malice and anger. Her own eyes widened in fear. The wizard clicked his tongue in disgust and moved his body slightly to the side. Aleena was too focused on his gaze to notice the sturdy leather boot heading straight for her head.

Her vision went black as she went flying into the stone wall not to far away. She cried out in pain, but then bit her lip. A warm oozing feeling crept down her head as she pushed herself up. She bowed again to show her respect to her king.

"And when exactly did you decide you would tell me this? With you darling brother?” Aleena shivered at his hushed tone, bowing lower if possible. “Did you really think that if you came together that your punishment would be any less?" The wizard seethed, his anger silent, but powerful.

Aleena flinched again. "I beg for your forgiveness, your majesty." She said tentatively.

The King huffed out a breath and pinched his nose. "Now we're set back at least two weeks... Worthless piss-ants..." The dark wizard walked over to the window to see the mass of enslaved wizards slaving away to rebuild the castle. Though these wizards weren't the ones to start the revolt, the wizard found insurmountable hatred boil down deep from within him. He snarled and twirled around to face Aleena.

"Bring me the ones who started the revolt. Stop the slaves work and bring them all to the courtyard." The dark wizard commanded, before swiftly leaving his office.

Aleena scurried up on her feet and left the room. The magic circle that the Dark Wizard was trying to prepare was the same one Aleena had watched the Queen escape from. On her way down to the secret Cathedral, she passed several black knights patrolling the dark halls of the palace. Their dark, midnight black armor was gleaming in the sun, and made the Knights more menacing than they would've been as regular men. You could also tell that their attitudes matched their dark demeanor from the way they acted an treated the castle staff. Aleena rushed passed them, her dark armor being slightly smaller and more sophisticated than those of the Knights. And her deep, luscious scarlet emblem on her chest showed her status of part of the elite guard, Tartaros. As the Fifth member she had a certain respect with the soldiers. Aleena held her hand to her head, while the other pushed the other men away from her path. She came to the secret study room at the bottom of the stairs. She went right through the hole she had made a few nights ago, and made her way to the work space of the two hundred wizards they forced into labor. There, the reconstruction of the giant magic circle was commencing.

When she emerged, she stared at all of the wizard distastefully. They worked so slowly, and lazily, just begging to be killed. But she knew that they were just trying get her mad. She smirked as she saw one of them slip. With the amusement in her heart, she stepped forward and raised her voice so all could hear her.

"Would you filth just stop working to divulge our king with your disgusting presence?!" She announced, smiling sadistically. The slaves stop with the construction of the circle and all looked at her with a mixture of confusion and anger in their exhausted eyes. She smiled even more at their pain and motioned to the door. "Guards will escort the slaves to the main courtyard for an audience with the king!" Aleena ordered, making sure the guard understood her clearly.The guards responded immediately, shoving the wizards into the tunnel accordingly, leaving the underground church. Aleena watched them leave, a smirk on her face. As the slaves left, her brother, Itsuki, came up to her with a look of confusion on his face.

"What's going on?" He asked quietly. Aleena's smirk softened to a exasperated pout at the sight of her brother, and she turned to face him. "You need to get the fuckers that started the revolt to the courtyard for his Majesty- ." She cursed, before she was interrupted by her brother grabbing her face and bringing her closer to him.

"Aleena. What happened?" He queried, a dangerous tone to his soft voice.

Aleena quickly grabbed her head wound and pulled away from her brother. "Nothing. I tripped." Her response was too quick, and Itsuki's eyes darkened at the implication. She nudged him away, walking past him. "You should go get those prisoners." She murmured. "No one else should get hurt because of them."

Ituski narrowed his eyes skeptically, not believing it for a second. Sensing her brother's doubt, Aleena nudged him hastily towards the door, ushering him out. "Go join the guard. I'll be fine, Suki." She used his nickname softly, hoping it would satisfy him. His skepticism didn't waver, but her relented, turning towards the door. 

"We'll talk after this." He affirmed, not waiting for her response as he left the cathedral. Aleena relaxed as she heard his footsteps recede.

Aleena relaxed as he left the cathedral. Moving towards the pews of the great church, she sat down and gazed up at the paintings above. Aleena took her glove off, and tenderly reached for the bump on her head. Her hair hid it well, and she had to dig under her curly brown tresses to find the all of it, but it was bigger than what she had thought. She brought her hand back, grimacing at the quite red blood that coated her fingers.

"I'll go to the infirmary after the audience." Aleena reassured herself, as she stood in the empty cathedral. Steeling herself for a couple of hours without treatment, the Mage left through the small passageway, and back into the castle.

 

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Many of the wizards that were forced to rebuild the magic circle came to care for each other. Though it had only been a couple of days, bonding through adversity happened easier than any other form of bond. Miraj and his family were no exception. They had come far to see Princess Lucille's coronation, and were now stuck in a city that was not their own, forced to do labor for a tyrant that had killed the previous king. 

Miraj was the eldest of three siblings, then Lisanna, and Elfman. They were scared of what was going to happen to them and Miraj, like any good older brother, encouraged them and gave them hope. He didn't know what that encouragement would spark.

Lisanna and Elfman had carelessly started a rebellion in the construction zone of the magic circle, and had caused enormous damage. The guards were unable to deter them, and it had almost seemed that they had won. But then, a member of Tartaros intervened, and the crisis was quickly subdued. Lisanna and Elfman, along with other wizards who were major participants, were arrested and taken away until their punishment was decided. And it seemed that the False King had decided.

Miraj had been working on an different part of the castle, as Miraj was a little less well rehearsed in magic as his siblings. He had tried to protest vehemently, expressing that they were only teenagers and couldn't be held responsible. That had earned him a beating from the guards and a day without food or water.

Miraj gathered with the rest of the slaves in the courtyard, watching earnestly up at the huge platform that was set before them. It looked like a stage. All that was missing was some curtains. Miraj scanned the area, only to see it surrounded by guards. A few members of Tartaros stood attentive around the stage, but the only identifiable one was Itsuki. His red hair stood out like a sore thumb against all of the helmets of black that the rest of Tartaros wore.

A quiet hush fell among the slaves as the false king climbed the stairs of the platform, and stood before the wizards proudly. He was clad in gold robes with black outlining the edges, mixing the golden symbol of the Celestial Kingdom in with his version of clothes. This was an offense to all Celestials, not only because gold was the color of the very Suns they worshiped. But rather, what was on top of his head. The crown of the monarch was perched on his head as if it always belonged there, when in reality it was Queen Lucille's that had been given on her coronation, and the one the previous King had worn.

"You're former king is dead." The man started out, repeating the lines he had said one week ago when he claimed this kingdom. "Your Celestial Guard is imprisoned, and your queen has abandoned you." The man continued, pacing the stage.

"I have become your new king, and you all surrendered to me!" He reasoned fairly. He then stared down at the slaves. "And yet you still revolt against my rule." He did not raise his voice, but it pierced through air like knives. "I have tried to be fair, but you've forced my hand." He said coldly. He summoned two guards who brought five exhausted looking slaves onto the stage with bags on their heads.

The man turned to the audience. "These five are the ones responsible for the revolt that destroyed the magic circle you slaves were working _so_ hard on." The man sympathized. "So, to prevent all other revolts that will happen in the future, and you know there will be," the man said, coming towards the slaves.

"Their punishment will be the example of all those who follow them." The man said darkly, gesturing to the guard. The knights in black stepped forward, one for each prisoner, and ripped the bag off of the prisoners. Miraj's eyes widened as he stared into the eyes of his destitute brother and sister, who were beaten and exhausted of all magic energy. The other prisoners looked the same amount of bruised and abused, and Miraj recognized them as three wizards that had become dear friends to the Strauss's during their enslavement.

Placed next to Elfman, was a man with striking green hair named Freed, who had been especially kind to Miraj's siblings. He had eased all of their minds with stories that distracted them. Next to Freed was Evergreen, someone that had gotten extremely close to Elfman, and had practically been the best big sister to Lisanna. Lastly, there was Bickslow, who was watching Lisanna with sympathy, his regular blue hair stained with blood. He seemed more beaten than others, and so Miraj realized that on of the guards must've given Lisanna the black eye, and Bickslow defended her. 

All three wizards had a special place I Miraj's heart, and he ached to see them up there. But his siblings were his world.

"Elfman! Lisanna!" Miraj cried out, pushing the other wizards as he tried to react he stage.

Lisanna looked up, one of her eyes swollen. "M-Miraj..." She coughed, her throat dry without water. Elfman hid from Miraj in resolve, knowing that he had done this with the realization of the consequences. He was leaving his big brother for good.

The man who called himself king raised his eyebrow in bemusement. "What is this? Family?" The knights around him nodded, confirming his guess. "I see..." He said, looking at Miraj. The dark wizard saw Miraj's defiant face, and how he was still so far away from the front of the stage. A smile formed on his face, showing his sharp fangs.

"Itsuki! Would you be so kind to escort this young man up here?" He asked, turning to Itsuki who seemed appalled at this request. But the red headed knight simply bowed, before turning to retrieve Miraj from the crowd. Miraj met him halfway, and allowed Itsuki to grab his arm to escort him in front of his siblings. Miraj pulled free from Itsuki's grasp and sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around his siblings. Lisanna cried into his shoulder, while Elfman sat stiffly, his resolve still strong. Miraj relished in the contact once more, before facing the king. He bowed to where his nose touched the floor of the stage.

"Your majesty." Miraj's broken voice was loud enough to be heard by the false king. "Please, don't kill them. They're only children." The Tyrant raised his eyebrow, and held up a hand to Itsuki who was coming to withhold this man from being taken.

"You accept me as your king?" His voice was baiting, and Miraj could tell that he was smiling down at him. Miraj swallowed, an image of Lucille flashing through his mind.

"Our Queen has abandoned us." Miraj croaked. "You are our only king."

The man whom called himself their king seemed satisfied with Miraj's answer, and waved his hand. The nearest guard drew his sword and brought it to the king. "Rise." The tyrant commanded, taking the sword with practiced ease. Miraj stood shakily, still bowing his head as he did. He did not dare look the man in the eyes.

The tyrant king held the sword out for Miraj. "I admire your resolve. However, an example still needs to be made. Are you willing to do anything for them?" He whispered, turning to the crowd. Miraj swallowed, hesitating for only a moment when his sister hiccuped a sob. "Yes." Miraj took the sword with shaking hands, and turned to follow the king as he spread his arms to the people.

"This man has pleaded for his siblings. And I feel that he has the makings of something greater in my vision for this kingdom." The audience of slaves murmured among themselves, anxious to know the verdict. The king turned back to his knights, gesturing to the two young teenagers. "I shall free them of this punishment, and instead, they shall be imprisoned."

Miraj watched as the knights picked his siblings up with ease, with Elfman struggling the most. "Big brother!" He cried out. "Don't kill them! They’re our family too!" Lisanna however, left limply, her sad eyes filling with tears again. Miraj lowered his head, tears of his own threatening to spill from his eyes. "Wait for me." He whispered, watching them leave with a heavy heart.

The king then placed his hand on Miraj's shoulder, bringing towards the front of the stage. "I have graciously allowed his family to live. You as well can have this, if you simply obey." The king instructed. "This man here..." the king turned to look at the white-haired man he had by his side. Miraj wooed his tears away, and bowed his head. "My name is Miraj Strauss, your majesty." He rasped. The king nodded.

"Miraj Strauss has accepted to punish those who would corrupt his siblings to move against me." Miraj felt a cold chill run down his back as he glanced over his beaten friends. They seemed resigned, and Miraj felt his heart ache at the sight of their bruised bodies. The white-haired mage looked back to his hands, into the reflection from the sword. The blade mirrored his shaken appearance, with his desperate blue eyes staring with too much intensity. His muscles quaked, and he readjusted his grip on the handle. He had never expected a sword to weigh this much. Miraj had never in his life held a sword.

But he had killed before.

He swallowed as he walked up to Freed who tilted his head up to look Miraj in the eyes. Miraj swallowed raising the sword higher. "For my siblings," The sword shook violently. "I'd do anything." The entire audience fell silent, as Miraj stood over this friend of his family's, who was forced to work against his will for a tyrant he didn't support. And now Freed was going to be killed by someone in the very same position. Miraj let out a shaky breath, before he brought the sword down. 

It sunk into the wood of the stage, and Miraj stood silently as the murmurs of the crowd arise. The king didn't look surprised, but instead disappointment hung on his features. "You couldn't even kill someone for your siblings? I must've misjudged your resolve." The king reached for the sword, but Miraj turned right then, his eyes red.

"Pardon my actions, your majesty." Miraj's voice echoed, startling the king. "But if you'll allow me, I'd like to preform this with the best of my abilities." Itsuki and the rest of the Tartaros guard reacted immediately and came to the king's side, ready to fight the White-haired mage. Miraj never lifted a finger however, and just let his body transform. Dark shadows circled his body, revealing his true nature. His pale white skin contrasted strikingly against his dark scales. Horns protruded from his white hair that was now spiked up away from his red-reptilian eyes. Wings sprouted from his back, the leathery appendages stretching as they unfolded. A tail unfurled as well, the same black color as his wings. 

When the shadows dispersed, Miraj knelt, his head bowed before the Dark Wizard."The famed Wyvern's Soul." The false king held his arm out, signaling his guard to back down. "And one of the former young generals that drove back the former queen Minerva Saber of Crocus out of her kingdom." Miraj was silent, his red eyes trained on the ground with determination.

The crowd caused an uproar at the sight of the sudden transformation, and with the revelation that he was indeed who drove the demon Minerva out of Crocus, confusion hung in the air. Miraj's long ears twitched at the sudden outburst of the audience, and the King must've had the same growing annoyance. He held his hand, effectively silencing the congregation. 

"What do you hope to accomplish in that form? Could you not kill them with a sword as effectively as with the help from your Wyvern's soul?" The king watched with narrowed eyes as Miraj stood, easily towering over everyone on the stage. Turning his head to the three slaves on the stage. "I was hoping to also demonstrate my power as well as my resolve." Blinking his eyes slowly, Miraj held his hand out.

Freed watched with wide eyes as Miraj summoned a black orb right above Freed's forehead. " _Decipula_." Miraj didn't open his mouth, but the words reverberated throughout the courtyard. 

Everyone watched as Freed was slowly sucked into the sphere, disappearing in a matter of seconds. The orb in Miraj's clawed hand glowed white as soon as it was over, and the audience of slaves watched in horror as Miraj lifted the orb to his mouth, and ate it. Evergreen, pushed back, a terrified look in her eyes as Miraj turned towards her. 

"Wait, please, I- _I don't want to be eaten!_ " Evergreen shrieked,  pushing back. Before any of the Tartaros members could subdue the brunette, Miraj stood above her, pinning her down with his talons. " _Decipula_." He repeated his curse, absorbing Evergreen as she screamed.

A cry of grief emerged from the crowd, and the sobs of distressed slaves reached into the skies. The Dark Wizard watched with amusement in his eyes as Miraj ate every single slave, causing everyone in the audience to be a sobbing, scared mess. When the slave known as Bickslow was finally swallowed, the King stepped forward, taking the discarded sword in hand. "Kneel, Wyvern." Miraj turned his gaze to the King, but obeyed the command. The audience beheld the King place the sword upon the shoulders of the demon, pronouncing him a knight. 

"You shall be a part of my elite guard, Tartaros." The king sheathed the sword, turning to the assembly of slaves. "From this day on, Miraj Strauss will by my Wyvern. And anyone who opposes me," The Dark Wizard allowed a grin to grace his face, sharp fangs protruding from his lips. "Will be consumed by the demon."

Aleena emerged from the crowd just then, her features harsh with her anger. She climbed onto the stage bowing to her king. Sending a stink-eye Miraj's way, she stepped closer to the King with a lowered voice. "Your majesty, I just encountered the guards escorting the two brats from the revolt. Why are they not receiving the same punishment?" She hissed. 

The Dark Wizard sent a dark glare towards the Steel Mage. "Do not lecture me about punishment. Or do you wish for your punishment to be discussed presently?" Aleena paled and found herself shrinking away from his dark presence.

The king then turned back to the crowd. Fear was evident in their faces and the depravity hung in the air like a dense fog. The king frowned and waved his hands.

"Guards! Escort the slaves. I want that magic circle down by next week!" He barked. His cold eyes searched the crowd for. "Otherwise I might let my demon feast on whomever he pleases." He said coldly. The knights herded the slaves back to the secret cathedral with haste. 

Miraj allowed himself to let go of his Soul Magic, panting as he did. "I will not disappoint you, your majesty." Miraj bowed once again on his knees to the king. The Dark Wizard nodded, turning to head back to the castle. "Itsuki, please escort him to a guarded suite. I want eyes on him everywhere he goes. And makes sure his siblings are treated like guests." Itsuki bowed, picking Miraj up with ease, carrying him to his quarters.

The Dark Wizard left the courtyard, entering the castle once more. Aleena led a small group of knights to escort him, sticking close to him while they traveled through the castle. The king bared his fangs at Aleena. "I hope that circle is finished soon for your sake." Aleena swallowed, bowing her head reverently. "Yes, my King."

"I'll wait for my princess." The man said, out of the window, to see the beautiful suns bright glows. "After all, it's been seven years since I've seen her last." He said, ardor buried deep within his eyes. Aleena scowled and bowed, biting her lip out of her majesty's view. "Of course." She said sourly.

The king brought his attention back to the empty hallways leading to his study. His mind wandered as he thought about the last time he had been in this castle. He had come with his younger brother, and they had come to visit the princess who lived here. She was, of course, young Princess Lucille Celeste. His brother was the youngest prince of Magnolia, Natsu Frye.

And back then, the black wizard was known as Zeref Fyre, the eldest son of the Dragonslayer Igneel, the heir to the throne of Magnolia, and the promised husband of Lucille Celeste.


	8. Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { "There are all types of different friends. There are those you keep beside you for social benefit. And then you have the friends that are practically your family. Those are the best of friends." }

 

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Earthland's Magnolia woke up with the sun, as most cities do. People milledabout, opening their stores, starting their usual schedules as the status quo. The dawn was spectacular, and cast a bright new light on the crest of Fairy Tail's guild.Inside however, turmoil within was brewing. With the return of only two-thirds of Levy's team from the expedition to where an Anima appeared, guild members began to wonder just what had subdued the Iron Dragonslayer along with their most powerful Solid Script Mage. 

 

The extent of their injuries was minimum, and Wendy was able to heal without exhausting to much of her power. But Levy and Lily were both stubbornly unwavering when it came to planning the recovery mission.

 

The master sighed as he watched Levy gearing up. "My dear, please think this through. Gajeel made that call to ensure that you would be able escape." Levy paused in her packing as the Master's word processed. "Would it do you any good to go after him?" Besides the usual bustle of people preparing for jobs and eating breakfast, most of the guild members listened on the exchange. With the realization that since these wizards had overpowered Gajeel, many of the eavesdropping guild members reasoned that maybe Levy going back to get him wouldn't be the wisest.

 

But Levy faced her guild master with determination. "Gajeel made a call without discussing it with me. Besides, we never leave friends behind." Levy stated, resuming her map that she traced onto a blank paper. Lily nodded, polishing his Música sword as he did. "Gajeel would do the same for us." Lily confirmed.

 

Master Makarov shook his head, a smile forming on his face. "You are certainly right," the master hopped off the counter top and made his way up to the solid script mage. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in comfort.

 

"Gajeel has a will of iron, stronger than even his own magic!" The master chuckled. "I bet he's waiting for the most opportune time to strike as he speak, as well as gathering information for the rest of us!"Levy let a small smile creep onto her features, and she let herself imagine him pulling a stunt like spying on those three mages. It was comforting to know that at least one person other than her and Lily had faith in him. 

 

"Juvia will come as well." Levy looked up to see Juvia standing in front of her, hand clutched her hands tightly. The blunette placed a hand on her chest. "Gajeel is one of Juvia's closest friends. Juvia would do anything to help him." The water mage had red rimmed eyes, but had never looked fiercer.

 

"In that case," Wendy stepped forward, clutching her hands together. "I want to help Gajeel too! He's always been there for me. I'd like to return the favor!" Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down to the ground. "I mean, if you would have me."

 

Erza stepped forward as well, and everyone went quiet as she did. She placed a hand on her sword, narrowing her eyes at Levy. "I'd be lying if I said I was joining just for Gajeel." Levy swallowed as Erza looked away. It seemed her interest lied with discovering the reason behind an anima reopening after years of it being closed. Erza had strong ties to her friends as well however, so her willingness to offer her help was reassuring to the solid script mage. "But, my sword would be of greater aid to your mission than it would here." Levy was speechless as her friends volunteered own after the other, eager to help whwre she had failed. Her hands trembled, and she hiccuped back a sob. "Thank you."

 

"I guess I'll make Levy the head of this mission." Makarov offered.

 

The guild door burst in at that moment, and Natsu came storming in, a fiery determination surrounding him as he approached Levy and the Master. "I heard that Iron idiot needs saving." Natsu huffed, his slanted eyes burning with agitation. "I want in."

 

Levy blinked slowly, and opened her mouth to answer when Lucy came running in shortly after, panting as she came to stand by Natsu. Happy flew in after her, landing next to Pantherlily.Levy felt her breath stop short as she took Lucy in. She resembled the girl from last night so much, that if Levy hadn't witnessed such strange behavior from the other Lucy, it would've been harder to differentiate the two. Levy felt her heart soar as she saw her Lucy standing in front of her. 

 

"You stupid lizard!" Lucy groused, pushing a hand through her tousled hair. "Don't run that fast!" As she was fixing her ponytail, she turned towards her dearest friend.

 

"I heard about Gajeel." Lucy finished her hair and engulfed her friend in a hug. Levy's eyes went wide as Lucy squeezed her, and the script mage found herself hugging back just as tight. "You're so strong, Levy." The celestial mage whispered into her ear.

 

Before Levy could choke out a response, Lucy pulled away, pointing a thumb to her chest. "I'll help you get him back!" She announced, cocking her hip as she beamed at Levy.

 

Natsu grinned in confirmation and held a fist out to Lucy so that they could bump it. Happy grinned and flew into the air. "Aye sir!" He cheered.The rest of the guild relaxed and seemed more happy knowing that the most powerful team of Fairy Tail had this under control had this covered.

 

"First things first," Levy stood, rubbing her tears from her eyes. She stretched the map across the table. "I have to fill you in on who we're up against." The members who volunteered gathered around the table, peering at the map. Lucy gasped as she realized where the encounter had taken place. "That's near Akane Beach!" She pointed with her finger. 

 

"Correct." Levy worried her lip as she turned to look at Erza. Erza stared at the map impassively, but Levy proceeded warily anyways.

 

"Three people came from the portal. Two male and one female." Levy turned her gaze to Lucy who was watching her with upmost attention. "I believe that they are very similar to the Fairy Tail from Edolas. The female was...." Levy hesitated, before sighing and looking at Lucy again.

 

"The female is the alternate-dimension Lucy." Levy said, staring in Lucy's now wide eyes. The guild all collectively gasped and looked at Lucy. The others in the team seemed disturbed, but Natsu seemed unperturbed. After the rest of the guild quieted down to just whispers, Lucy clasped her hands.

 

"Why... why would she do this?!" Lucy asked.

 

Levy grimaced and looked down to her hands. "She didn't seem like a bad person at first. She just seemed... confused. I'm sure she was very much so. She probably has another Levy on her side who is very close to her." Levy said, squeezing her hands together.

 

"But, when I mentioned Master Makarov, she became mad. She acted like I betrayed her... She became scared and she lashed out." Levy said, a slight waver in her voice.

 

"She could use the same magic as Lucy, and she had a man with her that looked a lot like Loke." She stated, continuing to draw on her map. "And..." Levy held the eyes of her friend as she said the next part. "I heard them call her 'your majesty'."

 

The team stood in awe as they listened to the descriptions Levy gave. Lucy grimaced at each similarity, and didn't enjoy the light that Levy was painting on her alternate-dimension self. She had surprising differences between the Edolas Lucy, but this Lucy seemed a totallay different case.

 

The team stood in silence and the awkward silence got on the nerves on a certain Dragon Slayer. "This is ridiculous!" Natsu scoffed, standing. Everyone turned to look at him with surprised expressions. Natsu stared at everyone. "It's not our Makarov she's scared of! She didn't have to hurt us! We should show the other Lucy we're not evil!" Natsu said, punching in his open hand.

 

Lucy felt her cheeks flush at the bold proclamation, but the Erza smiled at his announcemt. "I wholeheartedly agree. Offering companionship is something we Fairy Tail wizards excel at.""Yeah!" Wendy agreed,  offering her arms for Carla. The white cat grudgingly entered her arms, a slight blush on her cheek as she did. 

 

Levy smiled as well, and gazed back down at the circle where she approximated the place where they encountered their opponenets.

 

"Were coming, Gajeel." Levy whispered, tracing a finger on the circle.

 

 

 

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Gajeel woke up slowly, feeling as if he had been run over by a dragon. He groaned loudly, twisting over and trying to curl over his sick stomach. He groaned again as he felt his entire body jumble around, as if he were on...

 

A wagon.

 

Gajeel bent over in agony and hissed through his teeth. He tried to grab his stomach, but found his hands were tied. He grunted as he tried to break free of them, but the wagon went over a bump and his face went green as he fell on his side with a loud bump.

 

"I think he's fianlly awake." A muffled voice stated, while Gajeel tried to get up again but landed on his side. "Lets pull over." Gajeel strained his ears as the voice talked a little more quietly to someone else. Gajeel lifted his head to see three circular shadows towards the head of the wagon.

 

He scrunched up his nose as he remembered what had happened that night. He had managed to keep all of the intruders at bay for a while, but when he let his guard down, the small one had managed to use his magic on Gajeel. The bluenette knew how to use medical magic just like Wendy. And somehow he had used his magic to knock Gajeel out completely.

 

From the light streaming out from the torn wagon cover, Gajeel assumed that it was at least mid-afternoon. Gajeel struggled to get up and managed to sit up for a second, with his face still having a greenish hue. The wagon was starting to slow, and Gajeel barely had time to face the end of the wagon entirely before it was opened abruptly by the orange-haired cat-man.

 

"Do I get to take a piss?" Gajeel huffed, blowing a piece of his hair out of his face.

 

Cat-man did not laugh or give him permission to, but instead grabbed his shirt roughly, dragging him out like a kitten. Gajeel growled and barred his fangs, but couldnt do much else before he was tossed to the ground on his ass.

 

"Shit." He cursed, leaning back to massage his poor butt. "Do I weigh anything to you!?" Gajeel hissed. Cat-man remained ever stoic, and decided to stare down the Iron Dragonslayer. Gajeel narrowed his eyes in a challenge, and he intensely stared unwavering.

 

"Are you really having a staring competition with our captive?" The small bluenette boy appeared from the front of the wagon. He approached the cat-boy as he rolled his sleeves, eyeing Gajeel with a superior air. The dragonslayer grinned, showing off his fangs.

 

"How fascinating." The bluenette approached Gajeel to look at his teeth. "You bare the teeth of a beast! And your magic... your spells are dragonslayer magic, aren't they?" Gajeel chuckled and rolled his sore shoulders.

 

"What's it to you, pipsqueak?" Gajeel sneered, starting to feel a little more composed. His nausea was slowly starting to disappear, and he realized that he could make his hands steel so he could break out of his ropes.

 

He didn't however, want to escape just yet. He wanted to know their motivation.

 

"So, you guys came from a different dimension?" Gajeel probed, cracking his neck to feign nonchalance. Cat-man frowned and the bluenette blinked. "How'd you figure?" He asked, circling Gajeel like he was a specimen. Gajeel made sure not to show his iron skin.

 

"You came from an Anima, didn't ya?" Gajeel spit, making sure to hit the spot right in front of the bluenette. The pipsqueak circumvented the spit, acting as though it didn't bother him. "Plus, you look like people I know."

 

This is what got the attention of the two. The cat-man raised a brow, while Wendell spun around the face Gajeel. "What do you mean? This alternate dimension has versions of ... us?" Gajeel tilted his head, nodding.

 

"Exactly, pipsqueak." Gajeel squinted as he looked at the bluenette. "I'm guessing that you're the boy version of our Wendy..." The bluenette blinked in indignation, a grimace forming on his face. "You mean... I'm a girl in this dimension?"

 

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, but's she's a whole lot politer than ya." The bluenette scoffed in disbelief, and turned around while folding his arms. The cat-man smirked at the pipsqueak's discomfort, only until Gajeel focused his attention on him."And our Loke is a womanizer."

 

The pipsqueak slapped a hand on his mouth to prevent himself from bursting out with laughter, while cat-man frowned deeply, looking very uncomfortable. Gajeel only snorted, rolling back onto his hands.

 

"And then there's your third member..." Gajeel mused. The other two went quiet as the Iron dragonslayer mentioned the other Lucy. "You called her 'Your Majesty'." Gajeel's sharp eyes were calculative. "Is she a queen where you're from?" The cat-man slammed his lance into the ground, and the bluenette's eyesflashed a dangerous violent color as he activated his powers.

 

Before they could do anything however, the alternate-dimension's Lucy stepped around the carriage. Gajeel's eyes followed her, analyzing everything about her. He managed to spot more differences between this Lucy and the salamander's Lucy.

 

Like how her eyes were darker brown, and her hair was longer. And when she looked at him, there was a sadness he'd never seen in his friend. Even when he had helped capture her, back in his ... worse times.

 

"You're certainly smart." The blondie smiled, but there was no amusement in the gesture. Gajeel watched quietly as she came to stand in front of him before sitting down, cross-legged. Though she was reduced to sitting, she still had a poise of regality about her, and her gaze never wavered from his.

 

"Why don't you tell us about this dimension then? And," her eyes narrowed dangerously, while her two guards stood prepared behind her. "Why you were targeting us."

 

Gajeel waited a few seconds, before exhaling and closing his eyes. He leant his head back, clicking his tongue as he did. "We've had a... rough experience with people from other dimensions. Our guild master just wanted to be cautious." Blondie didn't seem to like his answer, and prepped for another one.

 

"Who is Makarov?" Gajeel cracked an eye open at her cold tone, and noticed that her two guards also had expressions of distaste. He raised a brow, closing his eye again. "He's our guild master. Master Makarov, of Fairy Tail." Gajeel heard a growl which he assumed was from the cat-man. He huffed a laugh, relaxing further.

 

"That's the same reaction I had whenever I heard his name way back when." Gajeel opened his eyes with his head still tilted back, gazing back up at the sky. "But... that old geezer gave me a second chance when I needed one. Never doubted his word from then on." Gajeel's red eyes were serious, before he closed them again, and sighed.

 

"But I assume that this hatred you have for the guy isn't just a simple grudge." Gajeel faced the blondie and watched her reaction. "Is it, your majesty?" The girl just gazed back with a stone face, her emotion buried deep enoug Gajeel couldn't even see it in her eyes.

 

"What's your name?" She asked, resuming her interrogation. Gajeel wiggles his nose and brought he legs in closer as he leant towards the princess. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Gajeel smirked. Instantly, Gajeel had a javelin pointed at his throat, and the pipsqueak's eyes were glowing.

 

"Answer the question, cretin." Cat-man snarled, holding the javelin with white-knuckled hands. Gajeel glanced down at the javelin, deciding provoking the cat-man probably wasn't the best idea. It was good he ignored his instinct of forming steel where the javelin was pointed immediately. He had to milk these people for all they worth before his backup arrived.

 

"Gajeel Redfox." The dragonslayer muttered, keeping his eyes on the blondie. Only when the princess nodded did her guards relent their threatening stances. Gajeel scrunched his nose, making sure his distaste was evident in his glare.

 

"Where is this Fairy Tail?" The question was asked as if the blondie expected resistance. Gajeel just hesitated for a second however. "It's in Magnolia. Big fairy symbol on the roof. Can't miss it."

 

The girl seemed surprised by his bluntness, as did her companions. Gajeel simply just yawned, blinking away tears. "Is this interrogation over? I still need to take a piss." A frown appeared on the blondie's face before she stood, leading her two companions away so that they could talk.

 

Gajeel pretended he couldn't give two shits, lying down like he was napping. But his ears were tuned-in to the conversation.

 

"... What if the situation is different? He did ask if you were a royal, which could imply that this dimension's Lucille is not a member of royalty." This was the pipsqueak. A logical response from him, which meant that he thought about his actions. Gajeel could appreciate that. There was an unconvinced hum from the cat-man before he input his thoughts.

 

"We can't be too sure. This one is smart, and from our interaction with him, I can tell that he deals with underhanded situations regularly. That's probably why they sent him." Also a fair assessment. Gajeel couldn't necessarily disprove him.

 

"We can discuss what his motives truly are later. What we should be worrying about is that we let two of these Fairy Tail members escape." The blondie spoke gravely, and Gajeel smirked at the image of the interaction between this lot and the crew from Fairy Tail. That would be a riot.

 

"It would be fair to assume reinforcements are coming, and if this Gajeel had no problem revealing his base of operations means that these Wizards are powerful." Gajeel nodded, shrugging his arms to test his power. His magic coursed throughout him, letting him know he had fully recovered from the absolute hell he went through on that stupid wagon.

 

It was time to go. He had to time this right in order to make sure he gives them the slip entirely, but if he was right, there would be people nearby. He remembered this path from the smell, and it'd only take a few moments to get to civilization. Whether or not they would abandon him or not was the question, but once Fairy Tail heard of him causing ruckus in a nearby town, they would be sure to get him.

 

Gajeel broke the ties with practiced ease, waiting until the group was in deep conversation, before leaping easily to his feet. He made a dash for the foliage and only barely managed to hear a raging shout for him to stop before he ran as fast as he could. Building up his remaining magic, his made his skin turn to steel around his legs in order to run without hinderance.

 

He chances a glance to his side, only to see the cat-man advancing steadily. Another glance around him and the pipsqueak could be seen close by as well. The blondie wasn't anywhere in Gajeel's periphery vision, and he didn't know what concerned him more; the fact that the blondie wasn't available or that it was taking longer to get to that populated area.

 

Gajeel vaulted over a small ravine, time slowing as he started to free-fall towards the earth again. Cat-man burst from the foliage, launching his javelin at the steel dragonslayer. Gajeel twisted so that he dodged it, propelling himself forward. He noticed that the pipsqueak was behind him at the last moment, when the blue-haired brat caught the javelin expertly.

 

Gajeel was forced to use more of his magic to use harden his skin to block the wide swing Wendell made with the borrowed javelin. Gajeel finally made contact with ground, and sprinted off in the direction where he smelt people. His heart was beating loudly as he heard the bustling of people and the loud cries of seagulls.

 

Right before he burst from the foliage, the earth beneath him erupted, throwing him forward harshly. Gajeel's world spun violently, causing him to become disoriented at his landed on the sand of a beach. Which confirmed that he was at Akane Beach. He heard a few screams from the beach-goers as he spit sand from his mouth.

 

"God, I've got sand everywhere." Gajeel groused, standing clumsily in the loose ground. The trio of alternate dimension whack-jobs stood warily, uneasy with all of the eyes that were on them. Gajeel let a chuckle escape his mouth as he brandish his fists, using the last of his magic to make his skin steel one last time.

 

"It's not that easy to defeat a member of Fairy Tail!" He roared, smirking as people began reacting in the way he wanted.

 

"Hey, isn't that the number one guild in Fiore?"

 

"That looks like Steel Gajeel!"

 

"Better make sure you have insurance, Fairy Tail is bound to wreak havoc."

 

"My cousin is in Fairy Tail!"

 

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the comments, but was somewhat glad that his plan worked. His magic was slowly fading, and his skin was softening by then second. He hoped that these three got the message quick before he ran out completely.

 

"Maybe we need to go another round?" Gajeel brandished his fists, making sure to put on a show. Blondie became more anxious at his obvious comfort with the people's attention. She started whispering to her two friends. Gajeel clenched his jaw as his vision started to blur.

 

"Let's go." He heard the blondie speak to her friends right as he lost his footing.

 

A Gajeel fell down, Lucille turned on her heel, ready to head back to the forest. She would gain nothing if she became a public enemy. But as she started to go back into the forest, a prickling sense of danger tickled her neck.

 

She barely managed to look at Leo when a head of spiky, pink hair entered her vision. A flaming fist connected with Leo's jaw and sent her knight flying, and Lucille felt her heart skip a beat as she saw her Natsu standing before her, his eyes slanted in righteous anger.

 

"What did you do Gajeel?" Natsu aimed his snarl to Lucille, but she was undeterred. She stopped as soon as she could, and she felt frozen the more he looked at her.

 

"What..." Natsu raised his brow at her response. Wendell stopped beside her, equally stunned at the fact that his dead brother stood in front of him. Lucille clenched her fist, frustration building up in her.

 

"What kind of sick joke is this?" She sobbed, grimacing at Natsu while silent tears streamed down her face. Natsu regraded her with a curious expression as she cried. The beach air was soft, the sun reaching the height of it's arch, bearing down on her skin. And though the heat from the sun warmed her, she felt cold inside as she observed mo the man in front of her who she thought was dead.


End file.
